Finders Keepers
by QueenSword
Summary: "..Yet another thing to add to my ever growing list of weird things that I had to deal with. So far, it consisted of the ice girl conspiracy, awkward conversations with Warren Peace, an ambiguous note, and now my mother's strange reactions to a perfectly normal question." Sky High would be something she would never forget. www. youtube. com/ watch?v equals sign DcGXrVdbzkY
1. Chapter One

**Finders Keepers**

A Sky High and Playing For Keeps Crossover  
By QueenSword

"It's bad enough being a sidekick at Sky High but why do my ovaries explode when I'm around Warren Peace? And why does my mom have to be the biggest MILF on the planet? And why couldn't I have been born with cool powers?" For Keepsie, Sky High would be an experience she would never forget. Warren/OC.

_"How can one claim perfect love, perfect trust, _  
_and not know the wonders I know? _  
_dreams are all well and good, but mine live and breathe,_  
_who knew? You came true, I suppose. _  
_If wishing on stars ever falls out of fashion, _  
_we'll move to the Pleiades with no backward glance, _  
_maybe between worlds and blackness, _  
_I'll get up the nerve, _  
_to finally ask you to dance."_

_- S. J. Tucker, To My Valentine._

**Chapter One**

When I woke up, sunlight was streaming through the window. My alarm had yet to go off and the digital eyes winked at me in the morning light. I blinked a few times and the fuzziness of my newly-woken sight dissipated. I stretched in the bed, bones cracking, muscles clenching and relaxing. I thought vaguely about getting ready early and making a bright an early start to the day. I almost laughed. I was mildly astonished that my mother hadn't presented me with a plaque to commemorate my first day of Sky High and danced around the room saying how proud she was. She actually thought I would make it as a hero.

Okay, so let's evaluate the things that I already know about today: My only friend would be Layla, I would be placed in 'Hero Support', people would ask me for my mothers autograph and humiliation would be inevitable. If that doesn't scream 'High School', what does? I mean, Layla would be fine, she had a super-duper nature power that could easily beat most of her friends, including me, in a fight, she was sociable and she didn't have a stupid hero complex that most of the, well, heroes had.

I shook my head and pledged not to feel sorry for myself. After I had breakfast. I was allowed to wallow in self-pity beforehand. The alarm buzzed and I slapped it, annoyed already and the day hadn't even started. "Ow..." I muttered, rubbing the palm of my hand. My dad beeped the horn of his car from the drive, giving me a second wake-up call. "I'm up, I'm up," I grumbled, swinging my legs out of the bed, ignoring the chill that was in the air. I vaguely remembered opening the window to cool the room down after an incident involving a dream and James Blunt.

I brushed my teeth and threw some clothes on, then hammered down the stairs for breakfast. The rest of the house of sickeningly squeaky clean and perfect, as were most of the houses on my street and I, as usual, scuffed the carpet on purpose to see my mothers jaw clench and call, "Someone's in a bad mood."

You will probably know my mom as Siren. She was dubbed 'Sexiest Superhero of the Year'. I read the article and I now wish I could erase it from memory. It was embarrassing having a mother that every teenage boy knew about, although it couldn't be helped that she was stunningly gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be tall, slim yet busty and be the possessor a smile that made most men melt? Not that I'm jealous or anything. Note the sarcasm. My face and figure were only faint echoes of hers. It was like all her genes had been diluted and watered down when they got to me.

"Not at all." I muttered. "Just nervous."

She smiled and passed me a mug of coffee and I cupped my hands around its warmth. "You'll be fine. You know Layla, right? And Will." Her grin widened at the name 'Will'. She's been trying to push me into the young Stronghold for years and I'm not having any of it. He's sweet enough, sure, but everyone can see he's made for Layla. Plus, he looks like a monkey. Ostensibly, she wants William Stronghold and I to procreate so that she can hang with the Commander and Jetstream for all eternity. I'm glad I didn't inherit her personality.

I rolled my eyes and shoved two pieces of bread in the toaster while she fussed over my hair. It had grown two inches over the summer and she had begged me to get it cut into a more sophisticated style. I batted her away and sipped my coffee. She eventually gave up on tucking strands behind my ear and kissed my forehead, saying, "I'll see you tonight. Have a good day, love you!"

"Love you, too." I mumbled, watching her disappear from the kitchen and out the front door. I glanced at my watch and cursed. I seized the toast, buttered it with too much vigour, grabbed my bag from the table and rushed out the door, not bothering to lock it.

The sun was out, the air held the tangible scent of freshly mown grass and it was altogether a beautiful day. It made me want to throw bricks at pedestrians. I chewed, attempting to finish breakfast before the bus arrived and let me tell you, it isn't easy to eat toast and power walk at the same time. Thankfully, I made it to the bus stop with minutes to spare. Will nodded at me uncomfortably. He'd clearly had a visit from my mother about how awesome it would be to be my boyfriend. I worry about my mother sometimes.

Layla waved and said, "Aren't you excited? I think it's going to be a great year."

I finished the toast and wiped buttery hands on my jeans, ignorant to Layla's proffered tissue. "I think it's going to be..." I thought about the right adjective to describe it. I settled for, "Different."

The bus pulled up with about a dozen kids inside. I swallowed.

"Morning." A man with a rounded face and doughy physique nodded at Will.

"Morning." Will replied. "Is this the bus to Sky High..?"

I have never wanted to facepalm so badly. The driver shushed him and gave him an incredulous look. My sentiments exactly. "Are you crazy?" The doors squealed as they shut and I turned to eye them suspiciously. No escape now. "Do you want every super villain in the neighbourhood to know we're here?"

"Uh, no. Sorry."

I edged to sit adjacent from a purple-haired girl but the driver stopped me. "Name?" He glared at me expectantly.

"Um, Keepsie Branson?" It sounded more like a question than a statement. And I gave my nickname, not my real name. Oh dear. I mentally scolded myself. Not a good first impression.

Realization dawned on his face. "Siren is your mom?" I nodded, getting a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to end well. He frowned momentarily and studied my face. I let him, hoping that when he saw there was hardly any resemblance between my mother and I, he would leave me alone. No such luck. He seized me by the shoulders and announced to the bus, "Hey, everyone! This is Siren's daughter! You show her some respect!" He added quietly. "If you could give this to your mom, I'd be real grateful." He handed me a card with 'Ron Wilson' printed in black ink.

Seeing no reason not to, I pocketed it and slouched into the seat I'd been hoping for. "And what's your name, son?" He asked Will.

"Will Stronghold."

Ron Wilson looked like he was going to faint. "Son of the Commander and Jetstream?" Will nodded, lips quirked upwards a little awkwardly. He slung his arm around Will's shoulders and shouted to the rest of the bus, "Hey! This is Will Stronghold! Son of the Commander and Jetstream!" He shook Will's hand. "Ron Wilson, bus driver." I sighed and leaned back.

Ron demanded the purple-haired girl and the boy next to her get up. Layla sat next to me, crossing her legs angrily and exhaling louder than necessary. "This whole system is flawed. Why should one person should get special treatment over another because of who their parents are?"

"I know," I said. "It's stupid. I don't like it any more than you do."

Will eventually sat next to his friend Zach towards the end. I had never met Zach, but by the very noisy, "BAM!" I heard, I was pretty sure I would by the end of the day.

Layla and I didn't talk for a while. I could tell she was in one of those moods and I didn't want to risk engaging in conversation and realizing too late that I was in for a 'How We Should Be Changing the World For the Better' lectures. It deserved capital letters and everything. After a few minutes, she appeared to have calmed down, so I tentatively said, "Haircut?"

She smiled. "Yeah. What do you think?"

"It's nice. It suits you." I reassured her.

The bus jolted suddenly to let somebody on and there was a shouted apology from the driver.

The next six minutes were, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced. I'm not afraid of heights or flying, but when you think that your bus driver has snapped and is about to drive an entire bus of teenagers off a cliff, things change. I relaxed slightly when I saw I wasn't going to plummet to my death but still kept an iron grip on Layla's hand.

The landing was rocky and I breathed a sigh of relief at the prospect of setting foot on solid ground. We all made a swift departure. I was eager to be away from the Devil Bus. My first impression of Sky High was that it was like any other high school. Except for the kids experimenting with freeze rays on the front lawn. I met Will's eyes and shared a look with him, then he most likely remembered that my mom wanted us to have lots of super babies and he avoided my gaze.

Will told me that his powers hadn't manifested yet, if they were ever going to arrive. I wasn't even good friends with him, but we both understood the pressure from coming from a superhero family. Especially with parents like ours.

Without warning, a blur surrounded our small group. I squinted, trying to figure out if it was a person with super-speed or some weird freak of nature. It was the former.

"Hey, freshmen! Your attention, please!" Someone called. I shook my head, clearing the dizzy feeling. Some douche with a backwards baseball cap stood at the front of the crowd and he was soon joined by another guy in a skull t-shirt.

"I'm Lash. This is Speed. As representatives of Sky High welcoming committee…"

"…We'd be happy to collect that 15 dollar new student fee."

Right. So this is like any other high school, except the bullies have super powers? Fantastic. "There was nothing in the student handbook about new student fees." Said a kid in glasses.

I shall name you Jelly Bean, Kid in Glasses.

"Okay, guys, very funny. I'll take it from here." And, lo and behold, a ridiculously beautiful girl comes to talk to us. Will's eyes went some where far, far away. So far away that I really wouldn't want to visit there. Ever.

Gwen nattered on about rules and I decided I didn't like her. She was too… perfect. Everything from her white teeth to her flawlessly pressed skirt simply lacked imperfections and it was too good to be true. Layla was drinking it all in, expression serious and nodding and laughing at all the right intervals. She was going to be a high achiever, I could tell. Maybe it wasn't going to be that bad.

"…And follow me inside for orientation." She smiled and turned and we drifted after her.

I slipped behind, giving Layla and Will chance to talk by themselves. I was about to eavesdrop on them when somebody tapped my shoulder. "Hmm?" I said.

"You're Keepsie, right?" I faced whoever was speaking. He was very pale with almost yellow blonde hair. He was one of those awkward teenagers who were gangly and made it seem as if they were comfortable with their height, but they don't realize how much space they take up.

"Yeah. Are you Zach?"

He grinned. "Sure am." He held out his hand. I shook it but he seemed to think we had progressed in our relationship to a hug. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with that. I was drowning in Axe.

"Uh, nice to meet you."

"You too, dude."

We ended up in the gymnasium and had a special talk with Principal Powers. Zach was actually kind of funny, in a really weird way. He was commenting to himself throughout the speech and, at one point, shouted an enthusiastic "YEAH!" I didn't even try to hide my laugh.

I tuned in on time to hear the words, "…Power placement…" I gulped. What the hell was power placement?

"It's how they decide where you go." Jelly Bean spoke to Will.

"The hero track or the loser track." Muttered the snarky girl with the purple hair.

"I believe the correct term is, 'Hero Support'."

Hell, I knew there would be some kind of evaluation, but power placement? Really? Zach appeared to be fit to burst with pride. "What are you looking so pleased about?" I questioned.

"C'mon! I finally get to show off my powers! That's awesome, man." His face was so alight with glee.

"You're hoping for Hero, then?"

"Damn right!"

Principle Powers finally stopped talking and left in a near blinding flash of white light. The room was filled with a palpable silence for a moment before everyone saw the raised platform. When there's a raised platform, nothing good generally comes out of it.

"Alright, listen up. My name is Coach Boomer. You may know me as 'Sonic Boom'."

Please visualize a series of question marks to represent the blankness of the my stare.

He continued, "You may not. Here's how power placement is going to work. You will step up here and show me your power. And, yes, you will do so in front of the entire class. I will then determine where you will be assigned: Hero or Sidekick. Now, every year there are a few students or, as I like to call them, 'whiner babies' who see fit to question and to complain about their placement. So, let's get one thing straight: my word is law."

God complex, much?

"My judgement is final, so there will be no whiner babies. Are we clear?"

Zilch. Nada. Nought. Nothing.

"I said, are we CLEAR?"

"Yes, Coach Boomer!" My answer came out more of a squeak from the multiple sound waves that crashed through me. "Go time."

Shit.

The first kid he called up was a short, freckled kid named Larry. I pegged him as a sidekick until he powered up into a gigantic rock person/thing. He sort of looked like a really big piece of cereal. A piece of cereal that could crush me to death. That's when I learned not to judge by appearances. I edged to the back of the class. The only thing that made me feel better was Zach. He could glow. Or so he said. It was hard to tell in daylight. He mumbled a disdained argument about being placed as a sidekick and was swiftly blasted off the stage.

"You tried." I offered when returned to stand next to me.

"He'll recognize my talent one day." He said.

I patted his arm in what I hoped was a consoling manner. I counted down the seconds on my watch, hoping that it would be lunch time before too long. Jelly Bean could turn into goo, there was a guy with six arms (Imagine sex with THAT guy. It would be creepy), a girl who could distort into a ball, an acid spit boy, a shapeshifter, Purple Girl morphed into a guinea pig (I thought that was pretty cute) and Layla, the noodle that she can be, refused to even show her powers.

The tension in my shoulders unwound slowly as the bell for lunch rang. "We'll take it up after lunch." He said, stalking off. The class dispersed, hungry and eager to chat and make new friends. I hung back at first, but Jelly Bean started to talk to me and we wandered companionably along with the rest of the group.

"So, what's your power?" He asked, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "You haven't been up yet."

"Um, it's a surprise. Like Will."

Jelly Bean raised his eyes brows, still managing to appear earnest. "You'll be a hero. You have that quality."

"Uh, thanks."

Far from it. Damn, now there's an expectation of me. I should have just told him.

I loaded my tray with food and sat myself down next to Layla.

I bumped her shoulder, playfully. "Why didn't you show them the flower-power? You could have been a hero."

She glared at me. "It would only encourage a social divide between me and everyone else in the sidekick division."

"But you could have done more about it if you were a hero." My words were lost on deaf ears, however, because Will had started to glance over his shoulder. Whatever floats his boat. I mentally shrugged and took a huge bite of sandwich.

"Don't you care that you're eating an animal?" Came Layla's disgusted tone.

I swallowed. "It's free range." I said, like that answered everything.

"Okay, am I crazy or is that guy really looking at me?"

I eased around to check for possible Will-Stalkers. I saw a guy definitely staring at Will. And I think my ovaries exploded.


	2. Chapter Two

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm looking for constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to point out anything you feel is wrong or needs work.  
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**Chapter Two**

Don't get me wrong, they didn't actually explode, but my lady parts were all up in overdrive. And you know what killed me? It wasn't because of his bad-boy image or foxy body, it was that intelligence. I mean, I appreciate good looks as much as the next girl, but that all falls apart when you see they have all the intellect of turnip. He discontinued staring at Will for a brief moment and fixated his gaze on me.

I met his eyes for a second before letting it drop and turned back round, suddenly realizing that our whole table was peering at him. A crimson flush spread from my neck to my face. Purple Girl noticed my blushing cheeks and smirked but didn't say anything.

"Dude…" Said Zach.

"What?"

"That's Warren Peace."

"That's Warren Peace?" Layla and I chorused. My eyes widened in surprise. I'd seen photos of Baron Battle in countless newspapers and I'd pictured his son to be more… Hero-y, like his mom, Weaver. She was one of the more bad ass female superheroes, not like my mom who ran around wearing skin-tight leather and high heels. Not wanting to chance getting a taste of whatever power he had, I took a swig of orange juice to distract myself from turning round to look at him. Okay, maybe just peak.

I cautiously twisted in my seat.

He was staring right at me. Fuck. He cocked an eye brow, as if to say, "What? You scared, princess?" I did my best to retaliate by giving him my best condescending glare but it failed miserably because I was still tinged pink at the cheeks.

Purple Girl grinned. I gave my lunch my undivided attention from then on. The conversation continued. "I've heard about him. His mom's a hero and his dad's a villain, Baron Battle." Said Layla.

"Where do I come in?" Said Will, nervously.

"Your dad busted his dad. Quadruple life sentence." Normally, I would be sympathizing with Will, but I had met Steve Stronghold and I had to admit he wasn't my favourite superhero. If my super villain dad had to be busted by a super, the Commander wouldn't be on my top ten.

"No parole until after his third life." Okay, _now _I was beginning to feel sorry for Will.

"That's great. My first day of Sky High and I already have an arch enemy." He slammed his apple juice lightly on the tray.

"That's the spirit!" I said cheerfully, "Think of it as a learning experience."

Will gave me a strange look. "What could I possibly learn from this?"

"Uh, dunno. You'll know not to cross him?" I reasoned.

Will still sat stiffly upright, nervously drumming his fingers on the table top. "Is he still looking?"

Layla didn't even bother checking behind her. "No."

"No?"

"No."

Glow Boy appeared to be having a staring contest with his cola, Jelly Bean was fascinated with the whole scene unfolding before him and Purple Girl looked bored. I was just doing my best not to turn around and gawk at Warren Peace's calculating eyes.

"You said he wasn't looking!" Will cried indignantly. Apparently, he was still being glared at.

"Pipe down. She was trying to make you feel better." I said.

The rest of the lunch break went in a blur. It mostly consisted of Zach and I flicking bottle tops at each other (We shared the same quirky sense of humor), Will being paranoid and Magenta looking bored. I told Layla I liked her hemp skirt. She thought I was being sarcastic. I was.

We walked back to gym lethargically, hoping the neat rows of lockers would last until we had to go home because I was dreading it. Unfortunately, Gwen Grayson 'accidently' bumped into Will. Sure didn't look like an accident to me. Will made an idiot of himself, as per usual. I exchanged glances with Layla when Gwen told her she loved her skirt, sensing the slight note of patronization. I didn't even know why I had taken an instant disliking to her. I mean, Layla possesses that same cheerfulness but on her, it seemed genuine. On Gwen it appeared fake.

"...I need a freshman rep for the homecoming committee. We could talk about it over lunch?"

"I eat lunch."

Gwen chuckled, showing pearly white teeth, then turned to Layla and I, "How cute is he?"

"Cute enough to get away with having a rock for a brain." I muttered. I hope no one heard that. It was mean. Even though they probably think the same thing. Layla gave me a disapproving scowl and Zach laughed. Oh well. Will was too busy staring after Miss. Perfection to notice.

I trotted after Layla, who knew her way around shockingly well, and entered the gym at long last under the scrutiny of Coach Boomer. Will followed a few minutes afterwards, mumbling something about a bathroom trip.

"Right, back to business!" Shouted the Coach. I winced, thinking about cupping my hands over my ears. "You! What's your name?"

Damn it. "Me?" I confirmed, warily checking behind me.

"No, the bench. Of course you! You super stupid or something?"

"No, sir." I answered, gritting my teeth. "I'm Keepsie Branson."

He rolled his eyes. "REAL name."

"Laura Branson. But I like to be called Keepsie."

"Get up here, Laura."

I squared my shoulders, climbing the stairs to the platform. "Power?"

"I, uh, keep things." Brilliant start.

Coach Boomer stopped writing on his clipboard. "Elaborate on that, this ain't a guessing game."

"Well, when something is in my possession, no one can take it from me if I don't want them to. When they try, they freeze."

I first discovered my power when I was nine and I was mugged on the way home from school. Some guy in a mask ran up to me and attempted to snatch my backpack. The man completely locked up. I mean, he jarred to a halt entirely and stood in exactly same position. After about five minutes, I gave an experimental poke. Nothing. I eased my backpack out of his grasp and ran all the way home crying. It took a while and a hell of a lot of practice to realize that I could release people that I trapped.

"Demonstration?"

"Somebody has to try and take something from me."

The coach sighed, obviously exasperated to deal with a difficult power. "Hey, Flower Child, take her watch off."

"But-"

"Do it!"

Hey! I need my watch to tell the time. Although it wasn't like she going to get it. Layla ascended the stairs and made a valiant try at removing my watch from my wrist. The moments she touched the strap, she stood stock still, expression frozen. I studied Coach Boomer's own expression, clinging to any chance that I might be placed as a hero. He pondered it, weighing options in his head.

"SIDEKICK!" His voice reverberated through the gym and my face flushed. I released Layla.

Was it really necessary to have power placement in front of the whole class? There was a smattering of sniggers hidden behind hands but most looked sorry for me. My blush intensified and I gingerly stepped off the raised platform. Wait until my parents heard; the daughter of the amazing Siren was a sidekick.

"Alright, Stronghold, you're up." Nowwas the time to _really_ feel sorry for Will. I tried to put an encouraging smile on for him.

I watched as he was practically crushed by a car, thrown across the room by a sneaky springboard and, finally, admit that his powers had yet to appear. My mom would flip if I didn't have any powers. She was disappointed enough at my meager talent. Being able to keep stuff that belonged to you is hardly the stuff of superheroes, is it?

Will spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office being checked for broken ribs. Wouldn't be surprised if he had, judging by the way he was slammed into a concrete wall because of Boomer's spring board. Hence the reason he missed the 'Strength Test'.

After Stronghold was carted off, Zach decided it would be a good idea to see if my power worked when I wasn't concentrating. It did. He wasn't amused when he froze and Magenta drew on his face with Sharpie.

The Strength Test consisted of being divided into heroes and sidekicks and told to test the strength of our powers. What do you get when you put twenty four super powered teens in a room and basically tell them to play with their powers?

Absolute and unreserved chaos. It was sort of like really, really mean dodge ball. Magenta immediately changed into her guinea pig self and slunk away. Traitor. Boomer sat at the side reading an issue of Sports Weekly. I honestly didn't know what to _do _with my power. I trudged over to lean against the far wall with Layla, who was encouraging the moss in the corner to thrive. Zach kept trying to turn the lights off so everybody could see him glow.

"Hey!" My eyes shot up to see who had spoken. She had blonde hair twisted into a ponytail and a green skirt. I couldn't really concentrate on anything other than the skirt because it such a bright shade of green. I recognized her as the girl who could turn into a ball. "You Siren's daughter?" She asked.

"Yeah." I said glumly, looking down at my shoes.

"That's pretty cool."

"I suppose. I wish she passed her powers on to me, though."

She snorted. "It's better than turning into a ball. Do you know how many innuendos you can make with that?"

I chuckled. "Point taken. What's your name?"

"Jenny. You?"

"Keepsie. This is Layla." They said their respective hellos. There was a slightly awkward pause. I fiddled with the hem of my t shirt.

"So," Jenny delicately cleared her throat. If I was honest, everything about her had that dainty quality. She had very fine features and a slender figure. "What's it like living with Siren? Do you get excited seeing her on the news?"

I shook my head. "Nah. It was cool when I was younger, but now it kind of lost its novelty. Plus, I'll never be able to take a boy home when she's there." I smiled ruefully. "Do you have super parents?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Sort of. My dad can turn things from blue to yellow. He's in interior design. My mom's normal."

"Blue to yellow?"

"Yeah. Comes in useful when I buy clothes in blue and want them them yellow."

We laughed.

Well, maybe Hero Support wasn't going to be that bad. If you don't count bullies, judgmental heroes and my mom's disappointment. It was going to be an interesting year.

At the end of the day, I left the bus with a bitter taste in my mouth. I wished good luck to Will, he bid me the same and he entered his house where I caught an elusive glimpse of the Stronghold parents welcoming their son home. I walked to the end of the street where my bedroom light was still on from this morning. Sighing, I let my bag fall to the crook of my elbow in preparation to fling it on the floor as soon I as got in. Judging by the amount of lights on all over the house, mom was home. Balls. Opening the painted blue door, I dropped my bag to the carpet and slipped my shoes off.

"Pick it up!" Mom exclaimed, emerging from the kitchen with her hair in a neat ponytail and flour coating her hands. "Then come sit down!"

With reluctance, I hauled up the bag and hung it carefully on a hook made for this exact purpose and trailed after mom. Upon entering the kitchen, I gaped at the copious amounts of cake mix on the counters tops and at the small mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. "I thought I'd bake you a cake in congratulations! My little girl on track to becoming a hero." She feigned a sniff and pretended to wipe her eyes for my entertainment, wiping a thick layer of flour on her face in the process.

I was beginning to feel slightly hesitant. "Mom, I have to tell you something. I-"

"Can it wait? I wanted to ice your cake before it cools too much." With a wink, she ruffled my hair and waltzed off.

"No, I have to tell you something now."

"Hmm?" She answered, whipping icing sugar and water in a glass bowl.

"The thing is, I-"

"Did I mention I saw Josie Stronghold today? She told me that Will is still available if you need a date this weekend."

I pulled a face. "No, mom, listen-"

"You really need to go out more, honey. There's more to life than video games and books, you know."

"Yeah, that's great, but-"

"Don't misunderstand, I love you the way you are but it wouldn't kill you to start wearing a bit more makeup-"

"MOM!"

She blinked. Her eyes, the gentle amber of honey, staring me down. "There's no need to shout, Keepsie, I'm sitting right here."

I resisted the urge to growl in frustration. "I was going to tell you that I didn't make it as a hero. I'm a sidekick." There. I said it.

In the space of about five seconds, three different emotions passed beneath her eyes like shadows; anger, acceptance and disappointment. I couldn't blame her, really. She had done her best to try and raise me as a hero, including miniature games of Save the Citizen and, when she saw I wasn't showing any promising powers, small radioactive injections to try and accelerate the process of developing them. It was silent for a few minutes and I could hear the quiet tick of the kitchen clock.

"Oh." She said, evidently thinking about her reaction. Finally, she managed a weak smile and pulled me in for a hug. "I had high expectations for you, sweetie, but I did suspect you wouldn't make the cut. It doesn't matter much. I'm sure you'll be the best... _sidekick_ you can be." She patted me on the cheek before departing to check on her icing mix. I breathed out, hating to see that I'd disappointed her yet pleased that she didn't make a huge fuss.

I wondered if Will had a similar experience. God knows the Strongholds aren't as pushy as mom but they sure like to brag about Will. I sauntered out into the hall and picked up the abandoned bag, heading to my room to drown out mom's enthusiastic cake icing.

The night drifted in as a slow and easy twilight. I spent my time productively by reading and playing Skyrim. What? It's good for your coordination. Maybe. As I battled Dragons, Frost Trolls, bandits and Vampires, my mind began to wander. All video games are is pressing buttons to get the desired effect on the AI's and when you've been gaming for as long as I have, you develop a knack for simply pressing buttons and allowing time to think. Most of the time when this happens, I think too much and put myself in a bad mood.

Today, however, was not one of those times.

Sky High wasn't as terrible as I initially thought it was going to be. I had made friends with Zach, Magenta and Ethan, which was nice, and I managed to get through an entire day without making an idiot of myself. Well, unless you count blushing in front of Warren Peace. Which I didn't, because he has to be used to girls blushing over him all the time. Damn, those eyes. Whoops, lady parts explosion.

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**Please review! I don't demand them as I write because I love to write, not because I want to hear nice things said about me. However, it would be very much appreciated to get some. Any suggestions will be welcomed! It will follow the film for a few chapters, then it goes off into something different :)  
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	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

I cast my eyes out of the window. I sat next to Magenta today, allowing Layla time to get to know Ethan a bit better. The bus was still on the road and teenagers like us were walking to their normal schools. I was actually kind of pleased I wasn't one of them. Having a power, no matter how second-rate or mediocre it was, made you special and I loved that. Even though I wasn't all that fond of my power, it still made me feel like I was part of something.

Then again, I wasn't sure if I should be grateful about attending Sky High. I hadn't even had any lessons and it's not as if I was particularly academic or had extreme intelligence. I suppose I would find out.

"Hey, Magenta?"

She looked up from her book. "Yeah?"

"Do you think that sidekicks get picked on a lot?"

She tucked a strand of vibrant purple hair behind her ear. "Probably. Did you see that sidekick get tasered by that electro-girl? Zach said he went to throw up afterwards."

Great. "But that guy was asking for it by annoying her, right? Maybe if we don't bother any heroes we'll be fine." Even I could hear the optimism in my voice fade towards the end.

She shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Keys." I snorted at my newly acquired nickname. Hopefully, it wouldn't stick.

I was less afraid of the Devil Bus this time, partly because Magenta shook off my grip on her arm and forced me to hold onto the edges of my seat. I wondered if they ever hit birds while up in the air. My enquiry was answered when a large, grey pigeon slammed into my window. I was already screaming from the Devil Bus but that _really _made me jump.

The landing was smoother this time and Ron looked like he was going to explode with pride at his parking skills. "Everybody off!" He yelled, opening the door. Gladly. He stopped me on the way out. "Did you give your mom my card?" His eyes were alight with hope.

I forgot. Oops. "Yep." I answered then scuttled out before he could fire anymore questions in my direction.

Layla and I swiftly avoided Lash and Speed, who were on the warpath, and made our way to the first Hero Support class of the year. The classroom surprised me. It was so... normal. I wasn't even sure what to expect of the Sky High classrooms but it certainly wasn't a normal one. There were no gadgets or costumes or even high tech computers, simply rows of desks and a blackboard. Oh well. I tried not to think of the facilities the heroes got to use.

I flopped into a seat next to Zach and opened a new notebook. I inhaled. I loved the smell of new paper. I checked my watch. A few minutes to spare before class started. I flicked to the back of the notebook and scribbled a hasty note to Will.

_How did last night go! They cool with you?_

I folded until the page resembled an airplane, albeit a bad one, and promptly threw it at Will. It hit the back of his head and he turned to glare at me. Speaking of glares, I momentarily pondered if Warren Peace would tolerate people chucking paper at his head. Nah. I doodled on my notebook for a bit, waiting Will's reply. I drew a pirate fighting a ninja then a dinosaur fighting a unicorn, but because I'm hardly a talented artist it appeared to be a Lego brick with an eye patch epically battling another Lego brick with a katana, then a blob trying to consume a horse with sword on its head. I approved of the unicorn because everybody knows that they are just weaponized ponies.

Before I had a chance to continue, someone, presumably our teacher, came into the classroom. "Mornin' class!" He said. "My name is..." He disappeared behind a second blackboard for a few seconds. He sprang out again looking like an American flag vomited on him and this was the result. "All American Boy!"

I coughed. "'Course, nowadays, I go by Mr. Boy. This year is going to be my privilege to help you to become the very best hero support you can be." Well, at least he made an effort to inspire us. "Without hero support, there wouldn't be any heroes..." He paused, thinking about what he said. He wasn't the brightest star in the sky, was he? None the less, he was trying.

"Well, there would be heroes but they'd be very lonely. Lonely heroes, indeed and-"

Zach raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"When do we pick our names and costumes? 'Cause I call dibs on Zach Attack."

"Sounds like a rapist name." Jenny muttered under her breath.

Mr. Boy shifted from foot to foot. "Well, you don't get to pick. On graduation day, you'll be assigned to your hero and then he or she will decide what you will be called and what you will wear..."

The classes kind of went downhill from there. Mr. Boy worked with the Commander and when Will mentioned that his mom never talked about him, the teacher spoke, "And we have a Miss. Branson in here, yes?"

I inwardly cringed. "Yeah?"

"Does Alice ever talk about me?" He said, hopefully.

I shook my head. "Uh, no, sorry."

There was some laughter at the back of the class. I whipped round. I hated being laughed at. "What's funny?" I asked, as polite as I could under the circumstances.

The boys ceased chuckling and began snickering, which was even more annoying. One of them said, "Taylor," He thumped his friend on the back. "Said that it was a pity we couldn't see the resemblance between you and Siren otherwise we would have given you something to talk about." They all snorted like it was the funniest thing since sliced bread.

I swallowed and blinked a few times and then narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, that's hilarious. Why don't you shove-"

Zach stood up and threw his arms open in a 'come at me, bro' stance, ignoring my attempt at a comeback. "Dude, uncool! You want to take this outside, huh?"

"That's big of someone who resembles a highlighter!"

I clenched my hands into fists. Insult me all you want, but don't pick on someone's friends. That's low. "Hey, do you know what would be funnier than this?" I snatched a bag off the floor and held onto it. It was mine, now.

I heard Layla giggle and I smiled, pleased for my power to actually come in useful for a change. This 'Taylor' dude frowned and made an attempt to reclaim his satchel. He froze on contact. His friends howled with laughter.

"Now now, class. I'm sure we can all be mature here..." Said Mr. Boy from the front of the classroom, sounding a little uncertain.

My mirth was short-lived when the classroom grew suddenly dark and a loud crash resonated into the confines of the classroom walls. I dropped the bag, unintentionally giving it back to Taylor but not releasing him. Zach, who was still standing, tipped over and went sprawling across my desk. His clothes were hurting my eyes. Oh, he was glowing.

Magenta acknowledged this by saying, "Hey, look. He does glow."

"Told you." Said Zack, proudly.

"Get off my desk, you twit." I protested. He obliged and sank into his own chair, still smugly basking in the attention his power gave him.

A man wearing a lab coat came into the room carrying a flash light, I didn't want to know about his head. The backup power must have kicked in because the lights flickered on again. Zach's face fell as he realized he was no longer glowing.

"Greetings. A little misfire in the Mad Science lab. No need to panic. Unless you're a single cell organism." I checked to see if Zach was still with us.

"Mr. Medulla, here at hero support we are trained never to panic." Said the teacher currently hanging from ventilation shaft like a limpet. The only thing funnier than Mr. Boy falling head first into the bin was Taylor still being frozen and someone having drawn a penis on his forehead.

I heard a soft rustle. The same paper airplane I had made was back on my desk. I unfolded it and saw Will's reply:

_Haven't told them. I'll do it soon! _

Freakin' noob.

After several more introductions from Mr. Boy about the syllabus we would be studying and more fan boy talks about the popular heroes inhabiting Maxville, the bell rang for lunch. The whole class swarmed out of the room, leaving a startled teacher in their midst. I laughed at an off-hand comment that Magenta said and made my way to the cafeteria with the rest of the group.

I was about to swing open the doors to get some sugary goodness in my system when something long and rope like tangled with legs and I went flying. I caught Zach's arm in an attempt to save myself but he was so unsuspecting that he went down with me. My head cracked painfully on the linoleum floor.

"Sorry." I groaned to Zach. He grunted. I took that as Zach-speak for 'It doesn't matter! You're the best person ever.'

Layla rushed over to us and hauled me up. The world swam violently. "Are you okay? Did you see who tripped you?"

I dusted myself with about as much dignity as I could muster and said, "No. "

"I think it was those two." Muttered Jelly Bean, or 'Ethan' as he liked to call himself, pointedly indicating Lash and Speed.

I rubbed my temple, hoping that the end result wasn't a splitting head ache. Why did it have to be those two? They were clearly renowned bullies and I could have simply played it low key if they hadn't noticed me. "Leave it, Keepsie." Said Will.

"I know." I said. What could have I done? Taken something and kept it until they bullied me into giving it back? Punched them? Well, maybe Lash as he was the real culprit. And I couldn't anyway because I was determined not to be conspicuous. The tension started to lose its grip on my shoulders and I followed my friends in.

As soon as the doors opened, the first thing I saw was Warren Peace. He was sat at a table by himself, hand wrapped around a bottle of cola and staring out of the window. Afternoon sun spilled in from the window, highlighting the contours of his cheekbones. I averted my eyes before somebody could catch me staring and grabbed some lemonade and a sandwich. I joined the others at their table. Directly in front of him. Fuck.

I dropped down next to Layla, saying, "That lettuce looks more reptile than vegetable." She glowered but didn't speak.

Will arrived a few moments later, scowling and waspish. "I hate my life." He muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, what a unique tale of woe." He considered my words. I said, "Seriously, what is it?"

"That guy will not. Stop. Glaring." He said, nodding in Warren Peace's direction. He was, indeed, drilling holes into the back of Will's head. "Maybe I should go and talk to him-"

"Not a good idea." Said Layla, picking apart her lettuce lizard. "I'm sure if you ignore it long enough, he'll find something better to do." Must. Resist. Urge. To. Look. At. Him.

I have horrible self control. I raised my eyes from my food and was met with the sight of his brown eyes boring fissures into mine. I was taken aback. Why the hell was he looking at me? What was even more surprising was the amount of questions his eyes held. I gazed back, curious, confused. I willed myself not to blush.

Feeling bold, I opened my bag and ripped a page out from my notebook. I retrieved a permanent marker and wrote in big letters, 'Something on my face?' and held it up. He raised his eyebrows, then smirked.

"Keepsie, what are you-" Layla followed my scrutiny.

"He was watching us." I said defensively. I lowered the paper and crumpled it into a ball.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Zach held up his hand for a high five. I did so, feeling I deserved it after one of my rare flashes of audacity.

After a short pause, Will spoke up, "Is he still glaring?"

I looked up again. Upon seeing that he wasn't glaring and was now calmly reading a book, I replied, "Nope."

He let out a sigh of relief and dug into his lunch. He attacked it with such ferocity that even Zach wrinkled his nose. "There are humans around, William, be more polite." Magenta said. He really didn't seem to care.

The afternoon passed quickly. Mr. Boy talked about the evolution of sidekicks, so to speak, and how they had become more than mere assistants and packhorses and why heroes needed them. We were presented with textbooks and told to read over chapter one in preparation for future assignments. The work itself wasn't bad, in fact, I would go so far as to say it was interesting. It didn't mean that I was any more excited about becoming a sidekick.

When I first realized I had a power, I was too wound up about it for words. I dreamed of being a super hero, so much so that I insisted that I was to be called by my hero name 'Keepsie' from then on. It sort of stuck. As I grew older, I knew that my power would never really take down an evil villain or save the world but it was _my _power. It was nothing like my mom's, who was not only blessed with hypnotism but also super human agility, and it wasn't exactly like my father, who couldn't assemble a toaster without help. It was simply me.

At first, I adored that I was different. Later on, I wished for better powers. Mom was out saving America and I was stuck at home, keeping things that already belonged to me. I read my comics and splattered my walls with posters and privately hoped for hydrokinesis or technopathy to come along.

Still, with Sky High, there could be a chance for me to be brilliant. Maybe not as brilliant as the heroes, though.

When I got home, dad was making dinner. I could tell from the smoky quality in the air. I rushed into the kitchen and helped him lift the spaghetti sauce off the hob. Meh. It was edible. "Where's mom?" I asked, seizing a cookie and nibbling on it, then pulled a face. It was raison instead of the chocolate chip I had been expecting.

"Business trip." He said, pouring burnt sauce onto under cooked pasta. Business trip probably meant I'd see her on the news tonight. I took the dish and sat in front of the T.V.; one of the few things dad is more lax about than mom. He soon joined me and we ate in companionable silence, watching the screen flicker through scenes of what was considered important news.

Finally, he broke the silence. "How's that school of yours going?"

I swallowed my mouthful. The food was hot and scalded my throat. "It's fine." Better than his small talk attempt, anyway. "How's work?"

"Excellent. Crime rates are low." My dad was a judge. He usually ruled over things like theft or assault and he did a damn good job of it. I sat in on one of his trials and he was so… calm. He was nothing like the flustered, disorganized father I knew at home.

I nodded. "Cool."

The next news story was concerning an office fire which ended up an inferno. Sure enough, we saw mom in her ridiculous costume. Or, at least, I found it ridiculous. She donned a red leather bodysuit and crimson boots. She never had any trouble with the heels due to her agility. An equally red mask covered her eyes and her utility belt hung low on her hips. How she entered that inferno in leather, I would never know. Dad and I viewed the news item with vague interest as we ate. She appeared to be an inhuman circus act, the way she jumped from window to window with perfect balance trying to reach a screaming woman near the top of the building.

Having seen enough, I devoured the rest of my meal and rinsed the plate under the cold tap, leaving it to dry on the draining board. I climbed the stairs slowly. I reasoned that I may as well read the chapter, deciding that it would be the best way to start the year; actually doing work.

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**Hope you're liking it so far! Thank you to those who reviewed :) **


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Lunch quickly became my favorite part of the day. I know, I know, it's hardly as interesting as sidekick history or as funny as mad science (Zach's antics never failed to amuse me) and do you know why? It's because I could stare at Warren Peace. It made me feel like stupid but there it is. The days following the episode with the paper sign, I kept trying to sneak glances at him to see if he was looking at me again. He never was. He sat at the same table, either reading his book or scowling at Will.

Not going to lie, it depressed me. Come on, what girl doesn't have a dream to be noticed by an intelligent, attractive boy that no one can get the attention of? I couldn't even correctly assume he was smart. The only indicators I had to draw that conclusion were the books he was reading, though I had yet to glimpse the title of one, and his eyes. Whenever he glared daggers at Will, anyone could tell there was a sharp wit behind them.

What was worse than developing a small crush on somebody that clearly wasn't interested, was that Magenta had noticed my furtive looks in his direction. She just grinned and, as far as I know, never told anyone.

"Hey! Keepsie!" Zach's voice boomed down the corridor and several other students gave him a wide berth . He slung a casual arm around my shoulders. He needed to lay off the cologne. "Have you done the history homework?"

I wiggled my shoulder blades, trying to let him know that his arm was heavy. "Yeah?"

"Can I-"

"No."

"C'mon! I don't have time to!"

I laughed. "What are you spending your time _doing_? You should do your own homework for once." I heard him make an indignant noise and he gave me a good-natured shove. We got our lunch and headed to sit down with everybody else. My mind drifted to things I should be doing like my mad science homework and wondering if mom was okay. She still wasn't back from the 'business trip' and she hadn't called, so I was getting worried. I ripped open my packet of Skittles and shoveled a heap into my mouth and chewed.

"Warren Peace is looking at you."

I swallowed my candy and said, "This isn't Twilight, Layla." I felt embarrassed and excited all at once. I reminded myself that she was probably mistaken because when I checked, his eyes were firmly on the novel in front of him. "He must have been glaring at Will, again."

"There are tons of chemicals in there, you know." She pointed to my Skittles.

I grinned. "I know. I even ensured there were tons of chemicals in it by checking the internet."

"_Why_?" She asked. "They're bad for your body and there could be unknown side effects that no one knows about."

I shrugged. "Because my mom is a health freak and I like to annoy her."

"The internet." She grimaced, changing topics.

I frowned. "What's wrong with the internet?" Something tells me I was going to regret asking.

She launched in, "It isn't _all _bad but it used to be you could have a pointless argument over anything, like Jupiter's moons or the wonders of the world. Now, someone just goes and looks up the answer. Where's the romance in that? Where's the chance to use force of personality, style and wit to prove a point? We live in a world where any idiot could have a fact, an answer in a second."

I blinked. "So… you want to have a pointless argument over Jupiter's moons?"

"No!" She said. "Keeping information on the internet, and on computers for that matter, means that super villains have it easy. Any time they want information on anybody, all they have to do is hack into a system and they have it instantly."

"_All _they have to do?" I said. "Hacking must be pretty difficult-"

"Not if you have a technopath on your side." Layla reasoned.

"Don't hear you complaining when you get to do research on the internet." I countered, smiling.

She sniggered. "I suppose. I don't like having my personal information on a computer system where anyone could get at it, though."

"Okay. Whatever floats your boat. I'm still going to eat my Skittles." I tossed a red one in the air and caught it with my mouth. I got a round of applause. I checked my watch. "Listen, I'm going to head over to the library. I'll see you in class." I did need to get my work done on the research project for history. I dumped the candy wrapper and the plastic bottle in the trash and snatched my bag. I wasn't that hungry, anyway.

Don't look. Don't look, Keepsie. Don't look at him.

Ah, success. I managed to walk the length of the cafeteria without eye-raping him. I refrained from doing a victory dance. Only just.

Truth be told, I kind of liked the library at Sky High. It had a high ceiling and rows upon rows of books lined the walls. More shelves stood at the back, encasing a few of the study tables in the much needed quiet that I needed to work. The musty smell of paper and old books was heavy in the air and the light was dim. I sauntered to a free table.

I sat and took out my notes. It was comfortably quiet, the only sounds the rustle of paper, hushed talking and the whirr of the few ancient computers. I didn't understand how a school could have a state of the art science lab and gym but refused to buy computers from this millennia. I opened the textbook and began to read. Hero and sidekick history was one of the rare subjects where we shared identical copies of the textbook. For the project, we had to choose a theme and explain how it related to modern heroes and sidekicks. I came to the conclusion that I should focus more on sidekicks.

The first page that had any mention of hero support read:

_Sidekicks can provide one or multiple functions, such as a counterpoint to the hero, an alternate point of view, or knowledge, skills, or anything else the hero does not have. A sidekick can usually relate to the citizens better than the hero due to their powers being of lesser strength. _

I thought of Layla and how she could kick ass any day. Flipping ahead to the smallest section of the book entitled, 'Sidekicks in History'. The person mentioned was, of course, Robin. What's the big deal about having powers, anyway? Batman and Robin don't have any powers. I suppose Batman was a billionaire, but if he could do it, why couldn't someone else? There were the ones like Jack Flag, Kid Devil and Young Marvelman, ones that everybody had heard of. I finally settled for the only noted female sidekick: Speedy II.

She was portrayed in the classic comic-book picture style that most of the heroes and sidekicks were. It was weird to think that most of the comic book stars I had adored when I was a kid were real.

_Speedy was a teenage runaway who was abused by her father. Unable to survive on her own, she fell in love with a man who offered her shelter and food in exchange for exploiting her in a child prostitution ring. She was rescued from one of her clients, a depraved local politician, by the costumed hero Green Arrow, who had just returned from the dead and to Star City. Sent by the Green Arrow to see his real identity, she saw through the disguise and became his new ward..._

There was about another paragraph on Speedy and I decided she looked like a decent kid. She was worthy of the project, even though I had yet to think of a theme. I was working on it. I made a mental note to search for more feminine hero and sidekick figures.

I was interrupted from my note taking by low whispers coming from behind the bookcase opposite, the sound bleeding out slowly, so that I could barely make out the words.

"…Going to have to come up with a plan." I didn't recognize the girlish voice. Against my better judgment, I pretended to search the shelves for a book. Clearing a few volumes out of the way, I managed to get a view of who was speaking. To put it plainly, she was gorgeous; creamy skin, huge green eyes and glossy golden hair. "I don't understand why he doesn't want me!" Her tone took on a whiny quality that made me think that someone didn't want her for a reason.

Her friend, the girl who made up the one woman cheerleading squad, nodded sympathetically. "I know. Don't worry, we'll come up with something."

The first girl put a hand on the bookcase, leaning. "Damn right, we will. I keep setting up traps to make him think we should date." From her hand, tiny frost patterns traced their way up the wood. I now recognized her as the freeze girl. She froze some guy staring at her ass on the first day. "He thinks because he's Warren Peace he has to be cold hearted and to shun any girl who walks with touching distance. Once I give him a taste of what I've got, he'll come running back."

My stomach sank like a stone. Warren? They were talking about Warren. This would be a very, very good time to back away and pretend to have never heard this conversation. Nevertheless, I stood stoically, continuing to search for my imaginary book.

The other girl, Penny I think her name was, smiled and said, "What have you got in mind?" I didn't like the look of that smile.

"I want to be paired up with him in Save the Citizen, so I can show off how well we work together. Hopefully, he'll get cut up and I can play nurse with him." Urgh. There's an image I'll never get out of my head.

Penny nodded, her pigtails bobbing as she did so. "I can make that happen. What are you giving me in return?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had no idea that girls actually _plotted _to get the guy they wanted. It freaked me out.

"I'll set you up with Jack. You know who I'm talking about?"

Penny licked her lips. "Mmmm. I know, alright." She laughed airily. "People are saying he's on track to being one the biggest heroes or villains in the country. I like danger."

MY MIND IS SCARRED. I was familiar with Jack or 'Clever Jack' as he was sometimes called. I couldn't see the attraction myself. I was sort of astonished that Warren had turned Ice Girl down in the first place. She struck me as the kind of girl boys like him were sweet on. She was stunning, reasonably bright and had notable powers.

I picked a book at random and discreetly headed back to my tables. Upon sitting down I read the title, 'Secret Heroes'. Oh, the irony. I shoved my various textbooks and papers into my bag and walked off. I wasn't exactly eager to get to class but I definitely didn't want to stay in proximity to those two.

A thought struck me as I exited the library. Should I tell Warren? The notion sounded silly in my head. The first problem would be what to tell him. "Hey, Warren. I've never talked to you before but I heard these bitchy girls talking about you in the library when I was spying on them. I believed I should tell you that they're plotting to team you up with Ice Girl in Save the Citizen. You will get hurt and she will hit on you." Yeah, I can see that going really well.

The second problem. Why would he listen to me? I was only a girl who enquired if I had something on my face and had never spoken to him. I wasn't strikingly beautiful. I was a friend of Will Stronghold. I was a sidekick. That gave him no reason for him to listen to me. Morally, I felt obligated to at least warn him.

I bit my lower lip, stopping at my locker to dump some books. Talking in itself was another problem. Even if I cornered him and forced him to listen to me, I would possibly stutter over words or blush. Fuck, a decision this simple shouldn't be this hard. The bell rang and I was required to partially jog to the next class, sidekick English.

Pushing all thoughts of the previous event to the back of my mind, I threw myself into every activity I was given, trying to forget my situation. We had to copy and complete the sentences written on the chalk board.

1. Holy _, _ man.

Wow. Tricky. I occupied myself by writing, "Holy shit, Batman." I rubbed it out pronto when we came to check our work. The rest of the work was the same thing.

2. My _-senses are tingling.

Yeah, I think Mr. Boy failed to notice most of us had been collecting comics or growing up with heroes since day one. My mind kept switching back to the scene in the library. I had never seen a game of Save the Citizen for myself, although the rumors about them were plentiful. I didn't have P.E. until next week.

That should give me sufficient to figure out what to do. I hope.

* * *

**Thank you to those who reviewed :) **


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

The memory of the library conversation clung to the edges of my consciousness, depriving me from a few hours of extra sleep. I was completely aware that I was obsessing over this far too much and that I should let him deal with this by himself but my mind just wouldn't let it go.

I wormed my way into my jeans and discovered that the growth spurt that ambushed me last spring had left them a few centimeters too short. Groaning, I tugged them off and searched the wardrobe for alternatives. I slipped on a fresh pair of jeans, a shirt and a grey sweater. I pulled on the pullover, trying to make it fit better, worrying that it was too small. I was dressed like I cuddled kittens for a living. I really didn't care.

When I looked in the mirror to apply a small amount of make-up, I secretly wished that it was my mother's face that looked back. Sleeplessness had left my skin waxy and pale, marred by a few blemishes on my forehead and chin and my face carved into pallid lines by my hair. Even dad was honest with me when dealing with my appearance. I wasn't going to be winning any beauty pageants any time soon. My brown eyes were framed by dark eyelashes, the only thing my mom had managed to completely bequeath me. My lips were full but my nose almost appeared to be too small for my face. I was probably the most average looking girl attending Sky High.

I tried not to let it bother me as I smoothed blusher onto my cheeks in an attempt to improve my pallor and otherwise left my face be.

Tramping downstairs, The news blared out with reports of robberies and assault. I investigated the living room and found my father curled up on the couch, breathing evenly. He must have fallen asleep while watching T.V. I kissed his cheek and draped a blanket from the chair opposite over his dreaming form. Glancing at the clock, I swore and made a hasty breakfast while chugging a scalding cup of coffee.

In the time I took to meander to the bus stop, the decision was firmly implanted into my brain. I was going to tell him. Whatever he chose to do after that wasn't my problem.

"Mornin'." I greeted Layla and Will.

"Have you done the paper on mutants, yet?" Asked Layla, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear.

"Do we have to talk about homework this early in the morning?" Moaned Will.

I ignored him. "Part way through it. Who did you choose?"

"Destiny. You?"

"Wallflower."

"Never heard of them." Muttered Will.

Layla rolled her eyes. "That's because female heroes and sidekicks don't get nearly enough credit as they should do-"

Will laughed. "Whoa, whoa! Spare me!"

The bus pulled up, leaving Will extremely grateful. I don't blame him. Layla can be scary. At school, I handed in my paper on mutants to Mr. Boy and asked him if we should be studying the support rather than the hero, as we are _hero support_. He pretended not to hear me. Nerves rippled through me as I thought about what I was going to do at lunchtime. I was just going to notify him, I told myself, I will not blush or get tongue tied. The best place to try and speak to him would be before he entered the cafeteria.

During lessons, my foot tapped incessantly, driving Magenta up the wall. We did learn how to properly press a button and cover an enemy with a net. Admittedly, it was easy but it sure was entertaining to see Mr. Boy be trapped in a web of ropes. It took him half an hour to find a way out. By the time lunch swung around, I had nearly forgotten about the conversation I was supposed to be having.

Sink or swim time.

"You go ahead." I told Ethan. "I need to get something from my locker."

He nodded, promising to secure me a pudding, and headed through the double doors. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, pretending to fiddle with my sweater, which was slowly unraveling from the sleeve. At first, I wondered if he was already in there, then I remembered Ethan and I had been among the initial students to gather around the doors. Maybe I'd made a mistake.

I was so preoccupied with my sweater that I nearly missed him walking towards me. He carried a book under one arm and disregarded the other students around him, bumping the shoulders of quite a few. "Peace!" I blurted. He stopped and studied me with the same amounts of contempt and curiosity. Without waiting for an answer, I said, "Ice Girl wants to get you in Save the Citizen."

Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Oh?" He answered roughly. "Why would a friend o Stronghold's want to tell me that?" Jesus, that voice...

Uh oh. "Because... because I thought it would be a good thing to do! I'm not a part of whatever family feud you and Will have. She wants to get you hurt in Save the Citizen." I half repeated myself.

He grasped the book in his hand tighter, then relaxed. A slowness overcame his voice, "How do you know?"

Red spots flared on my cheeks. "I, um, overheard them talking about it in the library." He cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you should know." I finished, turning to head into the cafeteria.

"Whatever." I heard him mutter as I left.

"I was only trying to help you!" I said, not facing him.

"Well, don't." Came the reply.

Ouch. I pushed the doors open and went it. Relief left me giddy. It could have gone a _lot _worse. A part of me felt frustrated. I was just trying to help for crying out loud! I shoved that mood away and contented myself with feeling glad that I had at least warn him what Icy had planned. I joined my friends at their table, merging in with the conversation concerning if Zach could take down Mr. Boy. I voted yes.

The conversation swiftly changed to various school projects and homework and Will invited us to study at his house the next day. We all agreed. I kept trying to sneak furtive looks in Warrens direction. He kept his eyes trained on the page of his book. Magenta caught my eye and smiled in a 'I caught you!' sort of way. I pulled a face that said, 'Guilty. Now don't tell'. I replayed the conversation I had with Warren in my mind.

"...Keepsie? Keepsie!"

"Huh?"

"I've been calling you for the past minute. Everything okay?" Layla questioned.

Lie, Keepsie! It wasn't as if I was planning on telling anyone about the conversation. "I was thinking-"

"Really?" Zach said in fake astonishment.

"Shush, Firefly!" I said cheekily. "I was thinking about Save the Citizen. Sounds scary, right?"

Will blanched. I didn't blame him. "I hope I don't get picked." Said Layla, nibbling on a carrot stick. "I mean, what good is simulated violence when we could be learning about how to do it from a book?"

"Shouldn't we be getting hands on experience, though?" Asked Ethan. "There's only so much you can learn from a book."

Layla was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Yeah, you're right, but I don't think games like Save the Citizen are the right way to go about it. It encourages a bigger divide between heroes and sidekicks and makes it easier for bullies to pick on people they hardly know." No one could disagree with that.

When I got home, dad wasn't there. A note told me that he had to work late. At least I wouldn't have to eat any more of his cooking. The house was eerily still and muted with only me in it. I shivered and flicked on the radio, pleased to stop the impending quiet. I hated being at home by myself. I put some soup in the microwave and sat down at the kitchen table with my seemingly never ending stretch of homework.

I continued with the history. By continuing, I sat in front of a blank page with a pen in my hand, desperately trying to conjure a theme out of thin air. I began to doodle, filling the page with embarrassingly girly sketches of hearts and stars. I started when the timer on the microwave beeper and I hopped up to retrieve the soup. It was excessively hot, but it would do.

I settled down in my chair, crossing my legs and lethargically sipping the soup.

Inspiration hit and, grinning, I picked up my pen and scrawled at the top of my page, "Female Roles in Super Hero Society." I felt pretty accomplished.

I rolled my neck until it cracked and smiled. It was a good theme and I'd bet that no one else would be doing it.

I gulped down the soup and wrote, _"Go back merely a few years ago and men can clearly be seen as the leading figure for superheroes, villains, and sidekicks while the women simply fill in the role of the love interest or the ever-too-curious damsel who in her eagerness to know more about the superhero, gets caught by the villain and later saved by the same superhero who she later admires and falls for."_

I recalled the scandal when I was little about my mom, and how she went into the superhero scene. She was one of the first female heroes to work as a vigilante and without support from any male roles. Other heroes like Weaver soon followed. I don't know why mom strutted round in that costume and attitude when she could be helping reform the whole idea of feminine heroes. The stories about the wives and girlfriends of heroes were plenty. Villains always went for the helpless women to kidnap. A thought niggled me at the back of my head, telling me that I could be the one to reform the idea of female sidekicks. I must be delusional.

_"However, today we see a great deal more heroes helping to reform the female image on the hero scene. Heroes and villains like Jetstream, Batwoman, Weaver, Powergirl, Siren, Cheshire Kitten, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Witchka and Firebird are clearly making a name for themselves."_

...Maybe that list was a little unnecessary.

_"In this paper, I shall explore the idea of a woman's role in crime fighting and changes that have been made throughout history that led to the inevitable shattering of the glass ceiling." _

I beamed. Ha! There's no way I could fail this thing now.

I finished my meal and opened the fridge. I guzzled orange juice straight from the carton. I know, I know, it's disgusting but there was no one around to see. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and rinsed the soup bowl under the tap.

My mind was still buzzing from school today and I was still scared stiff about Save the Citizen. Hell, if they're anything like the games mom used to set up for me, I was going to die.

I heard the door open, then shut. "Dad?" I called, shoving the carton back in the fridge and tried to come across as productive.

"Hello, honey." He responded. The clank of keys sounded as he threw them into the bowl by the door. He appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking very much weary. He leaned over to kiss my forehead. "Sorry I didn't see you off this morning, I must have been out of it."

"It doesn't matter." I said, stacking the soup bowl on the draining board. "How was work?"

He nodded. "It's fine. Everything at school okay?"

My thoughts immediately went back to Warren. God, why was I so stupid? "Good." I supplied a smile. "When is mom going to be back?"

He raised his eyebrows at the change of topic. "I don't know. You know we can't phone her when she's… out."

"Right."

We stood a little awkwardly in the kitchen for a minute. The sun was beginning to set outside, casting an orange glow across the walls. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Do you ever wish you were a super?"

Dad chuckled, pulling me in for a hug. "No, honey. I wouldn't be cut out for a power. I can barely keep myself organized as it is, if I was a hero I would never get anything done. Why?"

"No reason." I said, heading for the stairs.

Maybe some people, like dad and I, weren't cut out to make an impression.

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	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

"Miss. Branson?"

"Wha-?"

"If you could supply us with the answer, Miss. Branson?" Mr. Medulla spoke with irritation.

Layla hissed, "Freeze ray!" From my side.

"Freeze ray?" I said, weakly.

He narrowed his eyes. "Correct. Do try to answer without the help of Miss. Williams next time, won't you?"

I nodded dolefully as the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson. Mad science was turning out to be one of my worst subjects. I was hoping to scrape by with a B at the end of the semester. Thankfully, Layla was brilliant at it, so I was usually safe when it came to experiments. I packed up my things, careful not to knock a draught of anti-venom over and followed Layla out of the door.

"You'll get better." She promised. "You've got to pay attention a bit better, that's all."

I sighed. "Easy for you to say, you'll easily pass. I just have an attention span of a goldfish."

"We know you do." Said Zach, pretending to punch me on the shoulder.

"Whatever, glow worm." I retorted, shoving him back.

Layla asked, "Where's Will?"

"He had to talk to Mr. Medulla about… dunno, about something." Said Magenta.

"We'll wait for him in there." I reassured her, pulling her inside by the arm. I was starving.

I tugged on my ponytail, trying to loosen it. Magenta had whipped it up in class, saying it highlighted my cheek bones. All I knew was that it was making my head hurt. I took some candy from my bag, immensely enjoying how Layla pulled a face at all the sugary goodness. She knew better than to say anything by this time.

I relented and untied my hair, the scent of cinnamon and soap diffusing through the air. Zach looked disgusted. "It smells of girl." He said.

"What am I meant to smell like? Wet dog?" I joked.

"You should have left it up." Commented Magenta, waving her fork around.

"Sorry. It was uncomfortable." I took a bite of my chocolate. It was a small miracle my teeth weren't rotting out of my skull from the amount of sugar I ate.

Magenta must of spotted Will because she called, "Over here."

"Saved you a seat." Said Zach. Well, it might have been a small white lie because he just moved over to make it seem as though he had. Close enough.

"How can _like _that?" Said Layla, nodding at my chocolate.

I grinned. "Everybody loves chocolate, it's just that not everybody knows it." I winked, taking another huge bite.

A was minding my own business and eating delicious chocolate, next thing I know, I hear a, "Whoa!" From Will's general direction and a loud clattering of his tray against the floor. I turned to look. Will was sprawled on the floor, groaning as he lifted his head off the ground. His food was everywhere, chips had been carried by the momentum over his fall and were all over…. Well, shit.

Warren Peace was livid. He slowly raised his head and then stood. He had a good six inches on Will and about ten pounds, too. I tried not to get distracted. It was difficult. Will scrambled up from his intimate embrace with the floor with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry-" He tried, but was quickly cut off by Warren.

"You will be."

"Okay, let's not do this-" Insert epic facepalm here.

Warren's voice took on a dangerous buzz."You think you can do whatever you want just because your name's Stronghold?" Oh God. Will is going to die. I hope he sorted out his inheritance. I hope I'm in it and I get his stuff. I should actually trying to help him. Crap.

"I'm sorry that my dad put your dad in jail , but-" What on earth overcame him? Talk about socially inept.

Warren eyes met Will's in a furious, gleaming glare. "No one talks about my father."

BAM. Hands on fire. At first, I thought someone had struck a match and let it get out of control. Secondly, I realized that would be stupid. It was a miracle his clothes weren't catching aflame. I guess I knew his power for sure. Pyrokinesis. Baron Battle possessed the same power. The crowd was chanting 'fight' and I apprehended Will was, in fact, in danger. The air smelled of smoke and it was only a matter of time before metaphorical heads would roll.

Crap. This shit was scary. Layla yelled desperately at Mr. Boy to do something, anything, and he ran down the corridors shouting for Principal Powers. That was a big help. No one else seemed enthusiastic about intervening and I ran a quick inventory of what I could do. Options included pushing Will out of the way, taking the hits for him and tackling Warren to the ground, most likely setting myself on fire. I liked the first option the best.

I came out of my thought process in time to see a fire ball hurled at Will and it being blocked by a plastic tray. I had never seen another person so angry. It radiated off Warren in palpable waves as he threw more fire. The room was heating up fast and the warmth seeped through my skin like ink. None of the flames hit Will, so I assumed they were warning shots and more about humiliating Will than anything else. It must be an alpha male thing. Will made a beeline for the emergency fire alarm, which would trigger the sprinklers. He would have made it if it weren't for Lash tripping him up for the second time. His knees squeaked on the floor as he slid and lay there for a second before rolling over.

Okay. That's it.

I pushed past Magenta and ran towards Will, who was in the process of getting up. I hadn't really thought about what it do once I got to him. Warren stood a few meters away. He growled and his arms were all ablaze. I would be lying if I said I wasn't the tiniest bit turned on. But, as I've said, this wasn't the best time to be distracted.

Uncertainty laced his gaze when I ran to Will, helping him up. "Okay, guys." I said, the pitch of my voice wavering. "Let's all be responsible adults and- ARGH!" Warren had conjured up a huge flame and prepared to throw it.

I ducked at the last minute, joining Will under the table. "Fuck, fuck fuck." I cursed, crawling to the other end, scampering ahead of Will. I could feel the fire close by. He must have been on top of the table. I wanted to ram the table upwards so he would fall, but I have the upper body strength of a beetle, so I didn't try.

"Where's your sidekick, sidekick?" He said from atop the table.

"Guys!" I shouted. "Can't we all just chill about this?" I was cut off by a fiery explosion right by my face. The ends of hair had been singed.

"We're here!" Zach said. Him, Ethan, Magenta and Layla were all gathered ahead of Will and I. Warren growled and I guessed he had burst into flames again. Ethan melted.

I was about to make a break for it when something extraordinary happened. Will lifted the table and Warren clean off the ground. I couldn't decide who was more surprised, me or Warren. Probably the latter because he was thrown into a wall and then into another table.

The small victory was short-lived. "Stronghold!" Oh, boy. Some of the crowd had the nerve to appear happy. The next thing I did was to think of a plan and since I couldn't do that, the subsequent idea was to think of a way to get rid of the fire. Water! I was an idiot for not thinking of it sooner.

I ran for the fire extinguisher, praying Will wouldn't do something stupid. I shoved people out of the way, paying no heed of their complaints. I untied it swiftly, checking the instructions as I did so. As soon as I made a move to throw it to him, he had practically falcon punched Warren into the next room, bringing heaps of plaster and dust with the force of the strike.

"Think I can't take a hit!" Warren roared, coming back through the hole in the wall. Charging at Will.

Okay, time to act. My muscles tensed as I prepared to spring. Layla looked at me and screamed, "Give it to him!"

I was too far gone. I jumped and then sprinted towards the fray, quite aware that a girl running towards a boy on fire with a fire extinguisher to put of the flames of aforementioned boy looked absolutely ridiculous.

I did it anyway. I pulled the pin and sprayed Warren Peace, son of Baron Battle, with the foam from a fire extinguisher. I felt like laughing in a really evil way. I may have done so, if a little manically, because Will was staring at me like I was insane.

It worked, though. I relented with my unorthodox attack, starting to feel slightly bad.

"Uh, Keepsie?" Will said.

"Yep?"

"Hello, Miss. Branson." Said Principal Powers. She took slow, deliberate steps towards the scene of the crime.

"Hi!" I squeaked, dumping the empty canister on the floor.

"Would you care to explain?" She asked, coolly. The question felt like a trap.

No. Not really, ma'am. "Well, you see… The thing is… Will, I think you should tell her."I knew I was in big trouble.

"I, um-" He began but was cut off.

Principal Powers held up a finger. "Save it. Follow me." She caught my eye. "_All _of you." When I began to protest, she gave me a glare that could melt polar ice caps.

I walked along with Will, too aware of Warren on my other side. The adrenaline in my veins lessened, leaving me tired and I wondered how his clothes hadn't been burnt to a crisp. I inspected the damage to my hair. The light brown strands were all faintly scorched at the tips and I smelled like smoke. Nothing a shower and haircut couldn't fix. Why did I get into this? Oh, yeah. I'm an idiot. Will could have managed by himself and I interfered anyway.

The detention room was so white, it was blinding. I squinted. About five desks were in view, so I guessed they didn't have that much of a problem with fights. Or they were and they were ignoring it, which seemed a more likely answer.

"I didn't do anything! He started it." Said Will immediately.

"How old are you?" I asked. Honestly, he couldn't come up with a better story than 'he started it'?

"His dad started it and I'm going to finish it." Will and I both flinched when he tried to power up. I'd had enough powering up for one day. I settled myself in a seat, dreading the moment when Principal Powers would tell dad. It was only my first semester and I got into a fight? Although, I didn't instigate it, I still participated, even if it was struggling to stop it.

"Don't bother." Said Principal Powers. Her heels were beginning to annoy me. The clicked on the floor with every step. "The detention room neutralizes all super powers."

"How?" I divulged.

Her lip curled. "I'm sorry?"

Oh, crap. I dug myself a hole. "I mean, having super powers is usually genetic, right? So how would you neutralize something that's embedded into someone's genes?"

"This is not the time to be asking questions." She snapped. I must have angered the dragon. "Sit."

Having already sat, I was tempted to stand up again and move myself to another chair. I thought that might push her a bit too far. "At Sky High, we do everything we can to teach you how to use your powers." Yeah, my powers needed a lot of shaping up. They would be damn near useless in a fight, as I recently found out.

"But what you do with them is up to you. Living up to your fathers, or mothers, reputation or trying to live it down is a sad waste of talent." Like your birth. Yes, I went there. "Your talent. Try to keep that in mind before you do something stupid."

I timidly raised my hand. "How long are we in here for?"

"Until your parents have been informed." She turned on her heel on marched out.

I exhaled loudly once she was gone, as did Will. Chances were, I'd be there for a long time, depending if dad was in court. At a lack of anything else to say, I spoke, "So... Will, congratulations on getting your powers."

He smiled. "Thanks." He addressed Warren. "Look, whatever happened with our dads, it doesn't have to have anything to do with us. What do you say?" He held out a hand.

"I say, if you ever cross me again, I'll roast you alive."

I groaned, banging my head against the desk in frustration. "Guys! Can you just chill out for a minute!" They both looked at me. Will looked at me like I was interrupting his burying-the-hatchet speech and didn't appreciate it. Warren managed to look quizzical and annoyed all at once. "Seriously," I continued against my better judgment, "can't you avoid each other rather than attempting to bite each others heads off?" I shut my mouth before I began to drivel.

"He started it..." Mumbled Will.

"Maybe so, but you don't have to encourage it!"

"I didn't start it!" Warren said, slamming both fists on the table.

I stared at him. "He was tripped up! How is that his fault?"

"He was invading my space."

"Have you heard yourself? You sound like a three year old!"

"Stay out of this, princess." His skin glowed like flames were flickering under the surface. I guessed that was what happened when he couldn't power up.

"I was going to stay out of it but I couldn't let Will be pulverized!"

"Hey!" Yelped Will. "I wasn't going to be pulverized!"

I gave him a withering glare. "No offense, but _I _could have taken you down if you hadn't got your powers." I could have sworn I heard Warren disguise a laugh with a cough.

"Could not."

"Could too!"

Will stood up. "You so could not!"

"Sit down, Will."

"No! I could easily take you down."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "I highly doubt that."

"Stand up." He said, puffing out his chest.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Wrestling contest, right now!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "You-" laugh, "You want to-" giggle, "wrestle?" another laugh. I managed to calm myself down eventually. Will was still standing. I think he was serious. "We are in the detention room because of fighting and you want to wrestle? Is this some sort of masculinity thing?"

Will spluttered. "What? No! I want to prove that I could easily beat you in a non-powered fight. I won't really hurt you, I promise."

I snorted. "You wouldn't get the chance to."

"Prove it." Damn it. He had me. I glanced in Warren's direction. He was watching the scene pan out in front of him, mouth quirked slightly.

I sighed. "Fine. I won't tell any one about your defeat, okay?" I stood up.

"Okay. Start in three, two- No, wait, I'm not ready!"

I had tackled him to the ground, having the element of surprise on my side. He went down on his back and I laughed again. I regained my balance and while he was down and put a foot on his chest. I smiled smugly from my vantage point above. "Whatever, Stronghold. I win."

I sat back down, hoping the quiet chuckles I heard belonged to Warren and not to a figment of my imagination.

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	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Dad was there when I arrived home. I could tell he wasn't happy. He waited at the kitchen table, hands clasped and coffee left untouched in front of him. I opened the door cautiously, aware that he had been told but unsure of how he was going to react. I winced when I saw his expression. I dropped my bag on the floor and said, "Hey, dad-"

"Sit down, Laura."

Shit. He reserved my real name for either pride or anger and I don't think he was very proud. I sat down and frantically endeavored to fabricate an excuse but nothing came to mind.

"I got a phone call from your principal today." He said. "She told me you were involved in a lunchtime... brawl."

"It was hardly a brawl-"

"I'm speaking."

"Sorry." I apologized. May as well ride this out.

"She said you pulled a fire extinguisher on a boy who was on fire." He paused. "I didn't know if that was good or bad. She made it sound like a bad thing. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about how a school like Sky High works but I don't want to get any more phone calls about fighting in the lunchroom, okay?"I nodded. "Go ahead and talk."

I breathed deeply. "Will got into trouble with a pyrokinetic. I was only trying to help! I didn't want one of my friends to be burnt to a cinder."

My father frowned. "Will? Is he the one your mother wants you to date?"

"...Yes. It's never going to happen, though. I was helping him." I near mumbled the last part.

Dad patted my shoulder. "Honey, I know high school can be difficult. Keep it clean from now on, okay?" I nodded. That wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be. "Get going." He said, "I'm sure you have homework to do."

I didn't really. I had been in detention for most of the afternoon and missed the homework. Needing the justification for going to my room, however, I agreed and ascended the stairs. The time I spent in the detention room was... interesting. Will and I had talked, occasionally bickered, and Warren had sat there, not paying attention to us. After the wrestling incident, he didn't so much as smile. Although he didn't really have a reason. Time passed as slowly as watching grass grow. If I was honest, I knew he didn't like me. It was some silly high school crush that I would outgrow and eventually leave behind. It didn't stop me from coveting him, though. Did I mention I loved guys in leather?

I arranged my work on my bed, opening the notebook which contained my history notes on my chosen project. Under the subheading 'Superheroines', I wrote,

_There was a time when more superheroines were always appearing secondary in all aspects when compared to their male counterparts. However, nowadays they have started to seal their place and at the same time becoming equally important. __Being just as capable as other male superheroes, superheroines can do well enough on their own. There are a number of superheroines that can go toe-to-toe against several more formidable foe. One of the most well known is Wonder Woman with powers that includes superhuman strength, flight, healing factor as well as speed is capable of taking on the Four Horsemen of Apokolips and some members of the Justice League._

_The needs of superheroines are no different from those of a modern women. This is because most superheroines are superior in a lot of ways compared to normal people but this actually makes it even harder for them to cope or blend in. With their abilities, most of them are well to do individual compared to others but this does not exclude them from struggling with their normal/superhero life. The dealing of this problem is shown exceptionally by Power Girl as she struggles to keep her global corporation from falling apart and at the same time fighting off powered villain as Power Girl._

I was proud of my project. It gave me hope that I could actually achieve something.

I woke the next morning feeling good about myself. Dad was asleep on the sofa again. It was becoming a regular occurrence to see him sprawled across the couch, glasses askew and case files open on his chest, having fallen out of his hands. I would remove his glasses and put them on the coffee table, then pull a blanket over him. Mom wasn't back yet, so I fixed myself some toast with chocolate spread for breakfast. It was more chocolate spread with a little toast, but, hey, who's telling?

Will was the man of the hour on the ride into school. "Keepsie!" Cried Layla, sitting down beside me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, bewildered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, you went to detention after the fight, didn't you? What happened?"

I grinned. "Nothing bad, if that's what you think."

"I don't know why they don't do more to stop incidents like this." She shook her head. "Anyway, what did Powers say to you?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Stuff about how we were wasting our talent fighting when we should be learning. Or something like that."

"What did your dad say?"

"Just that he didn't want to hear about any more fights. It's really unfair, all I did was try and save Will!"

She smiled. "It did look like you were enjoyed spraying him a bit too much."

"Meh. Maybe." I replied.

"I'm pleased you got to show that sidekicks aren't useless." Said Layla, glowing with pride. "With some luck, people will see that we can be the same as heroes."

Not wanting to burst her bubble, I nodded. What I had really done was made myself a prime target for future attacks. They knew my powers weren't up to much, why wouldn't they? Will got transferred to the hero classes. Not that I'm surprised. Super strength may be the most generic super power, but it's damn effective. Class was dull, as usual, and by the time lunch rolled around, I was willing to think about anything other than work. Warren wasn't sat at his usual table. I wondered where he was.

I took some water and said to Magenta, "I'll catch up with you later, I'm going to the library."

She looked baffled. "Why? You aren't failing, are you?"

"No, but in mad science I'm cutting it close." The last experiment had been a disaster. I had to make a smoke bomb from the chemicals on the table. What I made wasn't exactly a smoke bomb, it was more of an exploding sort of bomb. The table was up in flames before I knew it. I vowed to study harder on the class work so there wouldn't be a replicated incident.

I ambled to the library, ducking into empty classrooms a few times to avoid Gwen and her minions. The library was near silent, as it typically was, and it was how I liked it. There were never swarms of students cramming for tests or doing work, so I thought they must do their homework outside in the sun.

I set out my notes and tried to concentrate on the correct way to make a smoke a bomb. Mr. Medulla insisted I repeat the experiment until I got it right. Only Zach and I had to repeat it. There was a reason I wasn't partnered with him. We would blow up the school if we were partnered. I lazily scribbled notes on potassium nitrates and sucrose, wanting to embed it into my head so I wouldn't forget.

I shrugged out of my sweater, leaving it and as well as my notes on the table. I wanted to check out a book on the history of science, in the hopes that the history would explain the basic concepts better. I perused the shelves, grateful that I was hidden from any other students or teachers. I worked better alone. Kind of like Batman. Except he had Robin. And I'm not a real superhero, but, whatever, I'm working with it. I brushed my fingers down the spines of bound volumes.

"Thank you."

I jumped, hands flying from the books and turning round. I was pleased that I didn't squeak or make another equally ridiculous noise. Warren Peace stood before me. He leaned against the bookshelves opposite, facing me.

"For what?" I asked cautiously, heart beating erratically.

"Warning me about Icy. She came onto me, saying stuff about Save the Citizen."

I wasn't sure if I should be proud or disturbed. I was certainly taken aback that he was talking to me at all and even more astonished that he had listened to me in the first place.

"Um, you're welcome." I said carefully. Not wanting to risk further embarrassment, I quickly found the book I was looking. To my utter surprise, he followed me back to my table. "Is there something you wanted?" I inquired.

"I owe you now. What do _you _want?" He said, aggravated.

"I don't want anything!" I said a bit louder than intended.

"I hate owing people. Tell me what you want." He snarled. In that moment, he was far too aggressive to be appealing and I refused to back down.

"I don't want anything." I said again.

He stepped closer, looming in front of me, gripping my wrist tightly as he spoke, "What. Do. You. Want?" I met his eyes. It was hard to focus on anything but his warm breath on my neck and his touch on my wrist. There were plenty of things I wanted, but I don't think they were the kind of things he had in mind.

I yanked my hand from his grasp with a sudden epiphany: this was the guy that almost set Will on fire. I shouldn't even be talking to him. "Teach me how to make a smoke bomb." I said, finding solace that I didn't say something dense or moronic.

"You're failing." He stated. I deemed the words somewhere between an observation and an insult.

"You're spectacular at giving complements." I retorted, "Are you going to help me or not?"

He grunted and sat down, as did I. He took my notes and began making corrections. I couldn't explain what I felt at that moment. It was all so surreal. I mean, I'd thought about how certain conversations between him and I could turn out, but I never thought it would be like this.

I zoned out for a minute or two, probably allowing him time to work out what I'd done to my work to screw it up. I thought about why I liked him in that way. In some ways he was completely wrong for me; antisocial, patronizing, and he tried to kill one of my friends. On another level, he was clever, attractive, and he had at least attempted to thank me for warning him. But he wasn't interested, so that was that. Maybe it was for the better. A boy in a dream shouldn't be real.

He waved a pen in front of my face and caught my attention once more. He was actually a pretty good teacher, explaining where and why I went wrong and by the end of it, I felt like I could finish the practical without setting anything on fire. Our little exchange had gone unnoticed by the librarians and other students and I was secretly pleased. I didn't want rumors and I suspected he didn't either.

"Thank you." I said, a little awkwardly.

He shrugged. "No problem."

I exhaled. We managed to have a mildly intellectual conversation without trying to bite each other's heads off. Wonderful. I packed up my things and shouldered my bag. When I raised my eyes to bid him an even more awkward good bye, he was gone. The bell rang. I shook myself and skedaddled out of there, not wanting to make myself even later than I was going to be.

The corridors were quiet and I cursed myself for not realizing the time. There was an odd metallic scent in the air. I dismissed it as cleaning fluid or sort of electrical overflow and continued hurriedly to my locker. When I got there, however, I knew was something was wrong. There wasn't any need to pry open the combination lock. Somebody had done that for me.

A horrid sense of dread rose in the pit of my stomach. The smell of metal intensified. "Come on, Keepsie, don't be stupid." I muttered. I forced myself to gingerly open the door. Another wave of the sharp, steel scent hit me full on as I blinked a few times, getting to grips with the fact that nothing had happened to me.

I took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. My locker was as I left it; a mess of notes and books, a few reminders pinned to the inside of the door. I snatched my sidekick media studies textbook and was about to close it, when something caught my eye.

Amongst the debris, a note in bright blue ink shone out like a beacon. I swallowed, ready for someone to jump out and say, "Boo!"

No one did.

I picked up the note. The ink was still wet. Written in a cursive script were the words,

_Join us. _

I don't know how long I stood there or why I simply pocketed the scrap of paper and headed my next class, but I did so without thinking twice. For the first time in a while, I felt real fear coursing through my veins. It was enough to want to forget all about it. The note felt heavy in my pocket, like a hundred tons of lead were weighing me down.

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**Hey guys, just a note to say thank you for all the reviews people have sent me :) However, I'd like to ask that you don't just write "Update" or "Update soon". Not only is it rude and demanding, it's unhelpful to my writing. Thank you to those who have sent encourgaing reviews: THC, Spyro Flavord Skittles, KnightlyWordsmith, Zs, Air In here and MeganQuirk7, and Crystal Moon Magic.  
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	8. Chapter Eight

**Hey, guys! I hope you're enjoying it so far! I think most of you will have heard about the removal of thousands of stories on the site because they were slightly outside guidelines they haven't strictly enforced since they came into play. One of mine got removed without warning or even telling me why it was taken down. I had a three day ban. Please take time to sign the petition: www . change petitions /fanfiction- net- stop - the - destruction- of - fanfiction- net # If the link isn't there, it is also on my profile. Thank you!  
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**Chapter Eight**

To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. I was fifteen minutes late to class, earning myself a stern look and an extra essay about heroes and the media. I gritted my teeth and said nothing. I didn't want to go running to a teacher or a parent. What if the note was just someone's idea of being funny and I was making a big fuss over nothing? How bad would that look? A potential sidekick afraid of some harmless prank pulled by the school bully. Still, something about the way my locker was open when I came back made me think something was off.

I walked home slowly from the bus stop, mulling over the days events. What really brought my spirits down was the painful thought of Save the Citizen tomorrow. Where the hell did all that time go?

My introverted mood didn't last long. As soon as I opened the door, the smell of non-burnt casserole drifted through the air. That meant one of two things; either dad had miraculously opened a recipe book and figured out how to cook for humans, or mom was home. Judging by the cheesy eighty's pop songs coming from the kitchen, I was guessing it was the latter. I smiled. As much as a scatterbrained, overbearing mom she was, I still loved her. I took off my coat, making sure to hastily throw any illicit candy wrappers in the trash, and pushed open the kitchen door.

She flashed me a brilliant smile when she saw me. "Keepsie!" She exclaimed, dropping a container of parsley on the counter and rushing to embrace me. I returned it. She was barely taller than me, her blonde hair tickling my cheek. I breathed deeply, relieved to have her back. The scent of urban smoke clung to her skin.

I pulled back. "How are you?" I asked "I heard about the fire. You were gone for ages, I didn't know where you were-"

She laughed. "Oh, sweetie! Anyone would think you were _my _mother. Everything is fine. Come on, sit down and tell me how you've been."

I did just that. She wouldn't leave me alone until I told her everything that happened in the time she had been away. I left out all things which could set her off into 'Protective Mother Mode'. She would just interfere. Dad came home earlier than usual and rejoiced at the sight of real food. He kissed mom's cheek and settled down to the meal. I loved nights like these. It always felt content and peaceful, like it didn't matter if there was a storm brewing outside or not.

I was halfway through my portion of stew, when I resurfaced the question, "What were you doing at that fire? What happened?"

Mom sipped her water delicately. "An office fire that grew out of control and turned into an inferno. Police are still trying to decipher what the cause was."

I nodded. "I saw you on TV."

She tried her best to look cross, but failed. She halfheartedly frowned and said, "You know I hate media attention."

Right, and I'm called Charlaine with breasts the size of Jupiter. "Did everybody make it out okay?" I inquired.

She sighed, checking her immaculately manicured nails. "I don't think this topic is entirely appropriate for the dinner table, do you?"

I stared, dumbfounded. I decided not to answer that trick question. "Um, sorry?" She held my gaze for a moment before turning her attention to my father, bombarding him with questions about work.

That would be another thing to add to my ever growing list of weird things that I had to deal with. So far, it consisted of the ice girl conspiracy, awkward conversations with Warren Peace, an ambiguous note, and now my mother's strange reactions to a perfectly normal question. Good golly Miss Molly, why do I even bother with one thing, when even more crop up to take it's place?

"May I be excused?" I said.

Mom smiled. "Sure, sweetie." She went back to her own food, only half eaten. What was going on with her? I didn't want to pry, but what if something was hurting her? I stacked my plate on the draining board after rinsing. "Leave it, Keepsie." I muttered to myself. "You'll get yourself into trouble. Again."

I caught little snippets of my parents' conversation as I moved to climb the stairs. "…a nasty case in today. Had to jail a man for…" It was like living in a news program.

I tackled my small mountain of homework with my usual amount of enthusiasm. I was restless. A million little thoughts danced around in my mind, and as soon as I came up with a solution to one of them, it skipped away to a part of my head I just couldn't reach. For a good ten minutes, I stared blankly at the window and tapped my pen against a blank sheet of paper. The light outside dimmed to a faded glow that cast shadows on the pale walls. It would be the last of the evening light we would get for a while. The leaves were already starting to change their hue. It was such a contrast to a mere few weeks ago.

I shoved the impending work off my lap and moved to open the window. I lifted the latch and it swung open, crisp air rushing in. I rolled my neck, stiff from pouring over textbooks. I was about to close it again and retreat to a place where I can at least try and concentrate when something caught my eye.

At the end of the road, a figure was silhouetted against the dying sky. It was distinctly female. I blinked. She had her back to where I was standing and was perfectly still, long hair tumbling down her back. She was wearing a costume. Or, at least, I assumed she was. I didn't know anyone else who walked around in a purple and black mini dress for an evening stroll. Although something told me she wasn't out for an evening stroll. She turned slightly, highlighting her profile; full lips, snub nose, and thickly lashed, wide eyes.

She stayed for another moment or two, then walked out of sight.

Nothing in my experience provided a suitable parallel. I was at a loss for what to think, let alone how to act. What the hell just happened? I shook my head. Was I going crazy? Apparently, I still had to refine that list of mine. I suddenly felt very tired, the days events making me blink sleepily. I cleared all the papers and pens off my bed and crawled under the covers. I curled up in the warmth, glad of a place where I could pretend that everything was normal. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

In the morning, I blinked blearily in the weak light. I was still half asleep at the kitchen table, pouring coffee into my orange juice glass and putting apple juice in my cereal. Dad had crashed on the couch again, case reports distributed all over the coffee table. Mom was most likely still sleeping. I tore up the note from yesterday, wanting to forget about the bizarre goings on of yesterday. I put seeing the strange woman down to fatigue and stress.

I shook myself a little. I had to be ready for Save the Citizen this afternoon. Even if I didn't get picked, it would be good to see what not to do. Ignoring the apple juice and cheerios mess, I plucked an apple from the fruit bowl and munched on that on the way to the bus stop.

"Hey." Acknowledged Layla.

"What's got you down?" I said, slightly surprised at Layla's change in demeanor.

She shrugged. "Nothing. You look tired."

I raised an eyebrow, laughing. "Thanks very much."

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" She said, panicked.

"I know. I'm worried about Save the Citizen." I confided. "Where's Will?" I had abruptly noticed his absence and felt bad about not noticing sooner.

"Speak of the devil." She muttered and I felt a familiar hand clap me on the shoulder.

"Hey, guys." Said Will, breathing a little heavily from running about three blocks. Layla averted her eyes. Please, Layla, make it more obvious. I stopped that train of through rapidly. I was one to talk, after all. Do high school crushes even _have_ any dignity?

The doors opened and I hightailed out of there. I could feel the tension start to brew. I sat down next to Jenny. She was in her usual green skirt and had a mess of wavy, blonde hair piled on top of her head, cheeks flushed.

"What's up?" I said.

She jumped. "Nothing! Just enjoying the weather!" She tittered nervously.

I groaned. "I'm _really _not in the mood to play guessing games. What is it?"

"Nothing." She insisted, rubbing the tip of her nose.

"Fine." I said. After all, if she didn't want to tell me, that was her business. The engine started and we began the slow drive to the 'end of road'. The sun had begun to hide behind a blanket of dark clouds that spoke of rain. This did not bode well.

"I'!"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

Her onslaught of the English language grinded to a halt. "Sorry. I'm getting scared because there was a strange woman outside of my house. She had the weirdest eyes."

Hope fluttered like a tiny bird in my chest. "No way. There was some lady in my street last night, too."

Jenny's shoulders relaxed with relief. "Thank God. I thought it was only me."

"What do you think it means?" The bus was approaching the drop.

"I don't know. Meet me for lunch?"

I nodded the affirmative. "Sure." I squeaked, as always, when the bus plummeted in free fall for a few brief moments, before lifting and cutting through the clouds. To quote Scooby-Doo, 'Maybe we can dig up some answers to this mystery!' I'm glad I keep some thoughts to myself.

Zach pounced on me as soon as we got into school. In all honesty, if he didn't surprise me with a sneak attack, I probably wouldn't have screamed like an idiot. His shirt made me eyes water just to made direct eye contact. I walked with him, shaking my head in mock indignation when he sat by me in class. Lessons were uneventful. I didn't actually realize it, but not having Will there was a big change. I mean, not in the way you'd expect, anyway. He had a certain presence about him that was always just… there, and a way of not looking at you or even saying things, but you somehow still knew what he thinking or feeling. He transferred to the Hero class a while ago, but his absence was continuingly strange.

The bell rang for the next class. All 'next class' meant for sidekicks was an excuse to go for a walk outside the classroom while Mr. Boy got his act ready for the net portion of the day. It usually took about fifteen minutes. We all filed out into the corridor, ready to walk as slowly as possible to our lockers and back again. I bit my lip, apprehension stirring in my stomach at the thought of going back to where that note was found. I went anyway, annoyed at myself for being so shaken at what was presumably a trivial thing.

The metallic smell had vanished from the scene and the door was locked. I entered the code and it swung open as normal. Everything was exactly as I had left it. Had I imagined the whole thing? No, I can't have. The note was in my desk drawer at home and there was the visit from the strange woman on our road last night. Plus, Jenny had said something similar had happened to her.

I took my books for the next class and shut the door, considering getting a reinforced steel padlock. Because that wouldn't be conspicuous at all. I leaned against the locker for a moment, trying to wrap my head around why anyone would want me to 'Join them' and who would write such a note.

I almost didn't see Warren Peace walking down the corridor. Crap. I couldn't deal with his sexiness today. Any other day, I would welcome it with open arms (and possibly open legs), but I didn't even want to make eye contact right now. I had too much on my plate without having to deal with teenage hormones. I turned around and darted off. I know, I know, it was a cowardly thing to do.

I made to the bathroom without much incident and I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the door closed. I speculated if he would ever talk to me under a normal circumstance. It was a win for the total, improbable department.

It was then that I heard a snuffling. The kind that I always did when I was trying extra hard not to cry. I frowned. What was I doing in the same environment as a crying girl? I ran through all the reasons a girl would be trying not to cry in the bathroom and I couldn't think of a pleasant one.

I timidly poked my head around the stalls to see if she was by the sinks. She was. She lingered in front of the mirror, fingertips on the glass, eyes unfocused and watery, attention turned inward. She clutched a mascara wand in one hand. For well over a minute she stood there, sniffing and trying not to burst into tears. I had the feeling that I had seen her before. Her shiny blonde hair was braided, her skin flawlessly clear and her lithe body perfectly dressed.

I stood straight upright, realization crashing over me like a wave of scalding water. Freeze girl. God, I didn't even know her name. She didn't know I was there, I could still make a break for it, but it wouldn't feel right somehow.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked, tentatively. She shrieked and whirled around, brandishing the wand like a weapon. She visibly relaxed when she saw I wasn't going to mug her or worse. I thought about what kind of mugger inquires as to the victims well being.

"Who are you?" She sneered, furiously scrubbing at her eyes to make sure there was no trace of tears.

"Keepsie." I answered, a bit uncertain as to what she wanted to hear.

She narrowed her eyes. "Do I know you?"

I shook my head. "No. You look upset, so I thought-"

"Just leave me alone!" She snapped, returning to the mirror and applying a coat of black mascara rather viciously. The thick substance went half over her whole eyelid because her hand was shaking. The sight of sticky eyelashes must have provoked a fresh round of weeping because she buried her face in her hands and said, "Go away!"

Well. This was awkward. I never really knew what to do when my friends cried, let alone strangers. Especially strangers that had secret plots with bitchy cheerleaders. I moved up to her and patted her shoulder. "There, there." I said.

"Look," She said, "don't tell anyone about this. Go back to class."

I didn't feel particularly good leaving her, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. My attempt at consoling her was a failure, getting a teacher didn't feel like a good idea, and she requested that I didn't tell anyone. What was making her so sad?

"I take it you don't want to talk about it?" I offered as a last resort.

She glanced up. She had a strange intensity to her gaze, as if she might shatter like glass at one wrong word. I left without saying anything else.

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**Reviews are much appreciated! Thank you to those who have reviewed so far, you have been really helpful in my writing :) I'm always looking for constructive criticism, so please don't add this to favourites/alerts without reviewing, it annoys the hell out of me. **


	9. Chapter Nine

**I'm impressed with myself that I've managed to write this so quickly, haha :) Read the authors note at the end, please! Thanks to those who have left reviews, you've helped a lot. Hope you like it :D  
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**Chapter Nine**

If there was one thing Jenny was, it was curious. We sat at a lunch table and I was getting through Skittles faster than I ever had. She had her notebook out, the weird experiences committed to paper in black ink. She said it helped her to sort things out in her mind. After seeing Miss Freeze in the bathroom, I went back to class and my mind was buzzing with all this new information. I decided not to tell the masses about what happened. I wouldn't want anyone blabbing about it if that was me.

It seemed like I was keeping more and more things to myself lately.

All these strange things had to be connected somehow. They had to be. I had told Jenny about the note only to find that she had been the recipient of a similar one. So, yes, Jenny was extremely inquisitive. A frown line marring her forehead as she thought frantically, desperate to come up with a link between the notes, the odd metallic scent that had accompanied it, and the woman.

At least she was being productive with her frustration at being kept in the dark, I was eating Skittles and procrastinating actual thinking.

"Maybe we're thinking about it in the wrong way." She said eventually.

"What do you mean?" I said through a mouthful of candy.

"Well, we're thinking about these things like it's big mystery. Maybe we should be thinking like they're small, like people messing around."

I sniffed. "I don't understand how it's funny."

"I don't see you coming up with anything." She said tartly, circling a few things on the page, indicating links.

I groaned and put my head on the table. It was cool under my forehead and my eyes closed, eyelashes tickling my skin. The table smelled of metal and that reminded me of the note. I squeezed my eyes shut for a minute, then heavily breathed out. A thought tickled at the base of my skull, a fact that Mr. Medulla had said. Because it was Mad Science, I wasn't listening very hard and my thoughts were probably drifting to somewhere with shirtless men and ice cream.

"What's Keepsie doing?" A voice inquired. Suddenly, I remembered. My thoughts a red needle in a cone of frost. A sharp clarity in the fog.

"Aha!" I cried, sitting up, vision a little blurry from the sudden head rush. Layla, Zach, Ethan, Will, Jenny, and Magenta all stared at me like I was crazy. I must of looked like a mad woman. Hair mussed from running my hands through it, lips swollen from biting them, and eyes mirror-bright from this epiphany. "Hey," I was stopped short, "When did you guys get here?"

"About five minutes ago." Said Magenta slowly. "We all thought you were trying to fuse yourself to the table."

"Ah, no." I said. I turned to Jenny, who had put the notebook away and still wore an expression of aggravation. "You remember that smell that was there when you found the note?" She nodded. "In Mad Science, we talked about technopaths and how their power works-"

"Where are you going with this?" She said warily.

I grinned a little manically, "When a technopath uses their power, there is a residue left over in the air because of all the manipulated metal or machinery."

"So?" She put her head in her hands.

I gave her a quizzical look. "So… that smell is distinctly _metallic_. Meaning it was a technopath that broke into our lockers."

"Whoa, whoa." Ethan said, "Someone broke into your lockers? Shouldn't you report it?"

I shook my head. "What would be the point? They can't prove who did it, there was no damage, and nothing was taken."

Layla's tone was disbelieving, "Then how do you know someone broke in?"

It was then that I chose to tell them the bizarre turn of events that had occurred in a matter of days. Minus the Warren Peace issues. I don't think that that would go down terribly well. I didn't think it a brilliant time to mention that he was the one who helped me pass the smoke bomb test with Zach, either. They all sat quietly while I recounted my tale. To be honest, it was a big relief to finally unload all this stuff on more than one person.

The reactions were all uniquely different. Layla appeared worried and maybe even a little scared. Will's face was contorted into concern. Ethan was outwardly calm but I bet he was calculating the odds of something like this happening again. Magenta was contemplative and I couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking.

And Zach, being the tall, super-powered puppy that he was, looked excited. "Dude, this is awesome! We need to figure out who did it, then kick their ass!" He proclaimed.

That was promptly ignored. Other suggestions were made. Will wanted Jenny and I to report the locker incident and go to the police about the strange lady. "I told you," I said, "There's no evidence of a break in and what would we report the woman for? Walking up our road? _Loitering_?"

"Suspicious behaviour." He said, looking proud of himself.

That was shot down, too. Most of what Zach said was kind of Zach-ish and therefore mostly unhelpful. The final verdict was to wait to see if there was any more weird things that went on and, if so, we would investigate it together.

"Come and get us if you need help!" Said Layla, "We don't want you to get hurt or anything."

"Sure." I smiled, feeling a lot better about the situation. However, a knot of nerves coiled in my stomach when I thought about PE this afternoon. The group dispersed, leaving Jenny and I to talk. I watched them walk out of doors before returning my attention to my lunch, which was basically candy and soda. Did I mention I had two fillings?

I glanced back to Jenny. You could tell by her face that she was feeling better, too. My attention wavered and I looked else where, scanning the lunch room. I tried to tell myself that I wasn't searching for someone in particular. He wasn't there, though. I felt so stupid for harbouring this crush, but nothing I could do would make it go away. I hate hormones.

The rest of lunch dragged slowly by and I watched the minutes tick by on my watch. I desperately clung onto any hope that I would suddenly become violently ill and wouldn't have to sit in on Save the Citizen. No such luck.

The bell went and Jenny excused herself. With a sly grin, she showed me the doctors note excusing her from strenuous physical activity. I squinted at the scribbles on the paper. "What does this even say?" At least I knew it was from an actual doctor from the amount of scribbling. A four year old could write better than most doctors.

"It says I can't run or anything because I have muscular dystrophy."

I stared, taken aback. "Is that true?"

She laughed. "No. My sister's a doctor, so she forges notes for me all the time."

"Is your sister not super?" I asked, curious, ignoring all the dispersing students.

Jenny said, "She is. She's a bone manipulator. That's why my mom wanted her to be a doctor." She changed the subject. "I'm heading out. Good luck in PE!" She winked at me and walked out, leaving me with an ominous sense of trepidation. Aw, crud.

I dumped the remains of my lunch in the trash, a bit more forcefully than necessary, and followed her through the door. I watched her retreating figure, certain that she was smiling at my misfortune. A quick look at my watch told me that I was later than I could afford to be.

I cursed and hurriedly made my way to get changed into my kit. My thoughts sped through my mind at a constant speed. I wondered if Icy would succeed in her plan. I wondered if Warren would mind. After all, she was yet another stitch in the shroud of propriety. Would _I _get picked? It was unlikely and I hoped that I could avoid ever being singled out.

My mom explained how Save the Citizen worked when I was small, when she still had hopes of me making it as a hero. The Coach would pick two heroes and two villains and they would battle it out. The victorious team would choose who they wanted to fight next. It sounded unpleasant and, as Layla said, it was a window to bullying. Teenagers can be cruel.

"Hey! Branson!" I was stopped in my tracks and, being the idiot that I am, it took a while to remember that Branson was, in fact, my own last name. Part of me hoped that the owner of that voice was who I thought it was, the other part desperately wanted to get far as far away as possible so I wouldn't make a fool of myself.

Warren Peace was storming up to me, appearing angrier the closer he came. Tiny flames flickered at his hands. "What the hell is going on with you?" Wait, what? "I needed you to tell me about Icy's plans, but you ran straight into the girls bathroom when I tried."

Oh boy, he was furious. He stopped about a foot away, eyes boring holes into mine, demanding an explanation. It only struck me then that he wasn't just ridiculously angry. He was hurt.

Not the clichéd hurt that some boys get when a girl won't talk to them, but something else. It occurred to me that a lot of people probably ran away when he tried to talk to them. I was ashamed that I wasn't different. I simply ran for a different reason.

"You... wanted to talk to _me_?" I asked, surprise evident in my tone. I had make sure I got that part right or I was in for a very awkward conversation.

"I need to know exactly what she's planning." He answered, the flames dying down. "And now I'll have to improvise." He added, annoyed. Common sense bade me lie and say that I didn't know anything more than I had already told him, but I couldn't do it. I did want to help, after all.

I involuntarily backed up slightly, so that my back hit the lockers behind me. I was gradually becoming very aware of close we actually were, the air between us charged and heated. "Uh, she said that she was going to paired with you in Save the Citizen and, er, something about playing nurse." I mumbled, measuring the words with a teaspoon, face burning.

He grimaced. I was pleased, and that made me feel bad because it wasn't my place to do anything. It was their business. I was too involved as it is. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes narrowing and travelling across mine, searching for any kind of lie. If I was a boy, I think I would have jizzed everywhere by now. However, since I had a distinct lack of certain anatomy, my heart rate increased and I'd wager my pupils were dilating. Anyhow, I was too unnerved to be anything but honest.

"I'd better be going." I muttered, sliding out of what could have been a compromising position. Did he even realize what he did to me? _Yeah, _I thought bitterly, _me and half the female population._

My plan at an early escaped was swiftly thwarted. "Not so fast, Princess." He said, grabbing me by the belt loops. Warren Peace had seized me by the belt loops of my jeans. This thought did not register with me.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, indignantly. I turned around to face him, annoyed. I don't care how hot someone is, when someone grabs you to make you talk to them, it's patronizing and embarrassing. I slapped his hands away. He removed his hands and I would later be grateful that he didn't torch me.

"I am a grown woman!" I growled. Well, I was. Sort of. "You can get my attention by asking me politely, you can't just grab people and make them talk to you!" He was mildly astonished.

The reality of what I'd said kicked in and I stood motionless, save the rise and fall of my chest. I was breathing heavily, the irritation leaving me in short, sharp gasps. We were completely quiet for a few seconds, looking at each other. He was faintly shocked that I had spoken back in that way.

I'm not really the sort to pluck up courage and stand up to boys like him. I'm sure every girl can imagine the type. The kind that think that get away with things like that with people like me. I was pleased I had done so, though. It made me feel… powerful. It gave me a pleasurable thrill, like the moments after a nearby lightning strike.

"There's something strange going on at this school." He said. His voice was deep and very, very masculine. I carefully, and firmly, shut my mouth against dangerous words. "I've overheard people talking about weird things that have happened. Especially sidekicks. I don't normally believe everything people say, but they sounded too scared to be making these things up."

"Why are you telling me this?" I whispered, trying not to splinter whatever fragile tension was in the air.

He opened his mouth, ready to answer when Coach Boomer's shout reverberated down the corridors. "WHY ARE YOU TWO NOT IN THE GYM?" The man marched forwards, face ruddy and whistle bumping against his chest with every step. "Well?" He said, once we were in normal speaking range. I was too baffled to give a coherent reply and Warren either chose not to, or couldn't.

Boomer jerked his thumbs in the direction of our respective changing rooms. "GO!" My hair was blown back over my shoulders with the force of the sound waves.

With all the enthusiasm of a snail climbing a fence post, I trudged off to go and get changed into the hideous kit. When the door swung shut, I leaned against it and laughed. This was all so crazy. I was left giddy and maybe over confident from confronting, if I could call it that, Warren. I hastily changed, not wanting to be gawped at by being the last one to enter the gym.

The blue shirt and shorts coupled with the white jacket was something that could make Megan Fox look unattractive. _No one's going to be looking at you. _I told myself fiercely, securing my hair into a pony tail, deliberately not checking the mirror.

Fortunately, the whole gym didn't turn to gape to my late entrance. The games had already started and I spotted Penny and Icy already in the ring. My stomach did an anxious flip flop. A rapid glance around told me that Warren was sitting by himself at the back. Mmm, forearms… I diverted my attention, not wanting to be caught ogling his arms no matter how delectable they were.

I sat next to Layla, who appeared as edgy as I was. "Where were you?" She questioned, "Boomer was really mad that he had to start without everyone here."

"Um, I felt sick, so I went to see the nurse." I said, hoping she would believe me.

I winced as Miss Freeze threw an icicle at her opponent with accuracy, pinning their clothes to the wall. To put it eloquently, shit was going to go down.

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**Okay, I really hoped you liked reading this chapter, because it's been the one of the easiest to write so far! Also, do you think that Warren stayed in character during this chapter? It's something I struggle with at times and I believe it to be one of the most important things in fanfiction writing, so let me know what you liked or what I could do to improve, if you would :) Oh, and do you think Keepsie should be picked for the Save the Citizen battle involving Warren and Icy? Yes? No? Don't care? Let me know!  
**


	10. Chapter Ten

**I write under extreme pressure. I have my mock GCSE exams tomorrow. It's half past one in the morning and I have to be up at seven. Am I hard at work, revising? Nah, I'm writing fanfiction. This is the result of extreme stress and fatigue. In other news, the talented Padme4000 made a trailer for the fic! www. youtube watch ?v=D cGXr VdbzkY If the link doesn't show, it's also on my profile.  
**

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**Chapter Ten**

The boy snapped the icicle with his hands to free himself. I watched with horror as another icicle twice the size of my arm narrowly missed a his chest. Everyone winced in unison as it shattered on the Plexiglas behind him. My first thought was, 'Oh, crap.' I didn't know the meaning of the word brutal until I saw Icy in action. It only added to my feeling of unease.

Layla informed me that this was the first game, so I wasn't missing anything. I wished I could have missed more of it. "Sophie and Penny have only been in for a while." She whispered. I liked calling her Icy a lot more than Sophie. Sophie was a nice-girl name.

The pair were up against a boy who appeared as distressed as I felt, but had the ability to fly, and a girl with laser vision. I did not want to be in her shoes. She struck Penny's duplicates with her lasers as fast as she could but they simply surrounded her, pinning her and one put it's hand over her eyes, forcing them shut. She couldn't fry anyone without going through her own eyelids. The boy wasn't having much luck either. He was attempting to fly over the pit and grab the citizen. Icy kept throwing up a thick layer of ice around the citizen and hurled yet more icicles that were sharpened to a deadly point.

The whole gym was cold thanks to the thin layer of frost that glistened on the gymnasium floor. I shivered, hugging my jacket tighter around me and flinched when Penny began taunting the laser girl. If these were heroes getting their asses handed to them, I dreaded to think how any of us would do.

A minute was counting down on the timer and Icy smiled in a state of placid, self-assured victory. Her face was entirely different out there than when I saw her in the bathroom. No red nose, despite the bitterness of the room, no tear tracks on her cheeks, and no swollen, puffy eyes. She threw another shard of ice and the flying boy couldn't move out of the way quite quick enough.

It hit him on the shoulder, tearing through his shirt with a rip of fabric, and it must have caught his flesh because the fragments of ice that remained on his skin were stained a vivid red. I felt sick.

The boy groaned and slumped in defeat, acknowledging their approaching victory. Freeze encased his legs in a layer of ice while he struggled feebly.

"I thought this was only simulated violence!" I hissed.

"It's meant to be!" Said Layla, equally taken aback.

Freeze sent a blast of ice at the flimsy rope holding the citizen out of danger and it snapped like a twig. The mannequin plummeted to the jaws of the machine below and a horrible crunching sound resonated around the room. The automated voice squeaked then fell silent. The buzzer went and cheers flew up in the crowd.

"Bennett! Jackson ! A poor attempt! I dread the day when you become _real _heroes. Get out of here!" The girl and the boy picked themselves up dejectedly and slouched down in the stands. Penny and Icy grinned like twin Siamese cats.

"Next round." Announced Boomer, checking something off on his clipboard. I shuddered at the notion of another round of this. "Heroes or villains?" He asked at the two still in the ring.

Icy caught my eye for the briefest of seconds. "Actually, I think we'd like to switch partners wouldn't we, Penny?" She said sweetly. "I'll have Peace as my partner and-"

"Wait, wait, wait. No switching teams. The winning pair has to stay together." Said Coach Boomer, attempting a dramatic gesture and nearly fell out of his chair.

The smile slowly slid from her face but she maintained a sugar-coated demeanor. She shrugged, a short, sharp motion. "No matter. We'll be the villains."

Penny chimed in, "And we pick Peace and-"

"And…" Icy's cat-like eyes searched the crowd before settling on my face. "Branson."

Are you freakin' kidding me?

Layla, Ethan, Magenta and Zach looked at me like I had been given the death penalty. My palms were sweating, heartbeat galloping wildly. I wanted to smash that self-satisfied smile off her face. However, I knew pure anger alone wouldn't get me through this and the electric shock of fear was pulsing through me in waves.

"Ah, the two late comers." Said the Coach with relish. "Get down here."

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why the hell did she pick me? I stood, a little shakily, and stepped down to don the protective gear that didn't really seem like it would be much help. All eyes were either on Icy and Penny, who were conferring in harsh whispers, or me, that no one knew and had no history of being involved with any of the people in the ring. The gym had erupted into gossip and chatter, drowning out whatever chance I had of hearing what Penny was now saying. By the quick glances up at me, I didn't think it was good. I slipped into the chest plate, feeling as sensitive as a frightened prey animal in a herd.

Layla gave me an encouraging thumbs up from the sidelines, accompanied by a weak smile. I breathed deeply and completed covering myself in the hard plastic armor that would probably do nothing if something very hot or very cold was thrown at me… Were the teachers trying to get us killed?

"What's your power?"

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I hadn't seen Warren walk over to me, protective kit already in place. I sighed, "I keep things. It isn't very useful unless I'm being mugged."

He raised his eyebrows. "You… keep things?"

I blushed hotly. "Yes-"

"Enough chit chat, get to it!" Shouted the Coach from his pedestal.

"Go get them, bro!" Yelled Zach from the stands. I turned to him and gave him one of those looks. You know, the one that says, 'If I live through this, shit is coming your way.' I snapped the last of my gear into place. I chanced a quick peek at Icy. Her green eyes were fixed on me, smile plastered on over a beautiful face, now unbound blonde hair dancing around her head in the energy that all her power built up. I felt angry all over again. Who was she to make me feel bad? I shouldn't stoop to her level by taunting or by playing whatever game she had conjured up in her head. I shouldn't. Right?

Before I knew what I was doing, I had straightened my back and marched right into that ring, Warren moving in behind me. A few seconds later, it was as if my brain was finally catching up to what my body decided to do and it registered that I could be in real trouble.

"I'll torch them. You do whatever you've got to." Warren said, body coiled tight and I could feel the heat emitting from him in rippling swells.

"Uh, right." I answered, hopelessly trying to summon a plan from the vastly empty caverns of my mind. Anger was still twisting and undulating in my veins and it took a lot of effort to keep it in check. Anger could make you do stupid things, but just remembering the way her eyes scanned over me in a 'I'm going to make you my bitch' sort of way made my blood boil. I gulped.

"Ready!"

I clenched my fists, watching Penny preparing to duplicate.

"Set!"

Icy would be after Warren, right? I sure hoped so.

"Battle!"

The buzzer signaled the start of the match.

The gym was awash in flames and frost before I could draw breath. My clothes were immediately sticky with sweat from the heat of Warren's fire to my right but the ice Miss Freeze had cast sent shivers down my spine. Warren was throwing blaze after blaze at Icy. I suspected that even if one hit her, she would only gain first degree burns because her core temperature probably ran a lot lower than a regular human's.

She had erected a wall of ice around herself even though it was melting rapidly from the amount of fire Warren was throwing at it. I'm pretty sure no one considered the concept of 'saving the citizen' because I was sure as hell wasn't about to jump over that pit of death.

Penny was advancing towards me at an alarming speed. I swore and didn't stick around to find out what she going to do. I wildly checked my surroundings for something I could use to defend myself. I told myself I wouldn't resort to punching her in the face no matter how much I wanted to do it, but the closer her and her minions got, it was tempting and I was running out of options.

I grabbed something that appeared to be a fake trash can. Nerves sang on the surface of my skin. I hurled it at her with all my strength, aiming for one of the duplicates that was almost skipping towards me. It hit her square in the stomach and she staggered backwards. I couldn't believe I had actually hit her. Bowling for bimbos should be an annual sport.

I caught the sound of Magenta's laughter. Good to know I was amusing somebody.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take care of the five other Penny's who were now running towards me at a dead sprint.

"Four minutes!" Yelled Boomer.

An ear-splitting screech pierced the air and I took a step backwards in surprise. I turned quickly enough that I caught the extent of Icy's power. She threw her arms down, torrents of ice rushing from her fingertips and Warren was too perplexed to melt the ice as it came. The whole ring was rapidly becoming dangerously slippery. Her lips were a soft blue. She didn't appear to be in any discomfort.

The air was bitterly chilled and I wondered why Warren wasn't using fire to warm the place up a notch but when I saw she was simultaneously throwing icicles, as she had done in the previous game, I knew why. There was no way Warren could heat up the whole area and melt the sharpened ice points she was sending his way. Each shard of ice required a direct hit from a flame to melt it in time.

Penny hadn't been distracted by this phenomenon and she had used the time to quietly creep up behind me.

I squeaked in an embarrassing manner when one of them snagged me, fingers curling around my arms. I wrenched myself out of her grip and whirled round, automatically stamping on the feet of the ones behind me. I recognized that winter's white breath was slowly taking over the whole gym.

"Not so fast, sidekick!" Penny hissed.

God damn it, which one was the real her? Maybe if I socked the real one in the face, they would all go down. It's not like I had any dignity left, anyway. She was too fast for me. I made a move to get the hell out of there and she intercepted it, blocking my path and another two clamping my arms to my sides.

This wasn't going well. The air grew colder and from what I could see over Penny's shoulder, Icy was throwing all of her power at Warren, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead from all the energy she was putting into it. What was her goal? I got that she wanted him, like, _wanted _him, but what good would fighting him do? My thoughts were answered when I saw her smile a sickly sweet smile at him. Ah. She was trying to impress him.

Penny's duplicates held me in place while, what I assumed was the real Penny, grinned at - John? Jack? - in the crowd.

"Three minutes!" Coach Boomer's voice reminded me of the task at hand and I watched the citizen doll drop closer to the machine. If I could get to Icy, maybe I could distract her long enough for Warren to melt the ice and get a clean shot at her.

"Penny!" I yelled, getting her attention. My breath became feather-white in the arctic chill, wisps of vapor escaping my lips as I spoke.

She sneered at me, "What is it, sidekick?"

I sniffed. "I'm… sorry."

Her duplicates gave each other funny looks. "Why?"

"Come closer…" I pretended to tear up. I was going to be branded the stupidest sidekick in history. I knew it. She drew nearer so we were a few inches apart.

"I… I drowned your fish." I murmured.

"Wha-?"

"And you know what else?" She looked too confused to say anything but leaned forward to catch my words. "You're stealing my air."

And just like that, she was frozen, captured by my power. So were her copies. "No fucking way." I said, wide eyed.

I didn't really think it would work. I heard a "HELL YEAH!" from the side and I guessed Zach would be punching the air and Layla would be talking about the potential of lesser powers. I laughed at all of the Penny's each standing still, expressions frozen in explicit uncertainty. God, I didn't know I could do that until now. By the crack of ice, I guessed that Warren was making leeway with Miss Freeze.

I whipped around and prepared to sprint to the aid of Warren, where I would save the day and be the envy of every sidekick. But I fell on my butt. I hit the ground with a thump and that's when I found out that the ground by my feet had been frozen. It glittered wetly and I glared at the patch of ice for making me slip. No doubt I would have a massive wet patch on my ass. Great.

I picked myself up and watched my step from then on. The ice hadn't been particularly glassy before, but from the sudden blast of heat from Warren, it had started melting quickly and the ground had turned into a very icy puddle. I gingerly put one foot in front of the other, hoping there were good grips on my sneakers, not wanting to fall again.

I surveyed the situation: Icy was doing her best to appear elegant as she did her best to keep a wall of ice surrounding her and was making icicles to hurl through the air. I noticed she wasn't aiming for any vital parts as she was with the other boy. The effort was taking it out of her, she was smiling but her skin was ashen and it was clear she was flagging.

Warren didn't seem to be tired or fatigued. He was getting more and more annoyed. He threw flames into the open air with such ferocity it was hard to remember that we were in high school and only playing a game. Their powers were on the same level but Warren was smarter than she was, not wearing himself out too soon. I always thought it must be so difficult to have a power that physically drained you.

"Two minutes!"

Crap. I stopped behind Warren, thinking. Thoughts flashed across my mind and I tried to weed out the ones that weren't dangerous or stupid or both. I needed to distract her. How? Not only that, but she looked like she was going to pass out at any real impact, and while I didn't like her, I didn't want to hurt her. The citizen doll crept closer to it's doom. I speculated the question 'why can't the damn citizen save herself?'.

I bit my lip. It was a miracle I had made it this far without injury. That trick with Penny wouldn't work on Icy and there was no way I could get that close, anyway. Maybe if I tried to physically restrain her, it would give Warren enough time to get that stupid mannequin? It was all I had.

I tried to be stealthy. It proved to be difficult when I kept skidding on patches of ice and swearing every couple of steps. Warren gave me a curious look, to which I responded with a shrug. It wasn't as if I knew what I was really doing.

By the time I made it round to her side of the ice wall, I was certain she knew I was there. However, she couldn't completely give me her full attention without letting the ice crack and melt. Her hair was statically charged and the space around her hummed with all the power that she was using. What I wouldn't give for a power like that.

"You're supposed to be losing!" She barked.

"Sorry to disappoint." I said, and slapped her in the face.

Yes, it was a childish display of petty vengeance, but it worked. It shook her up enough that she stopped casting up that ice wall and Warren sent a burst of bright orange flame that thawed it. At last, the room began to lose the bitterness in the air.

"Foul!" Shouted the Coach, checking something off on his clipboard. Meh. It was better than letting her continue. "One minute!"

"Sorry..." I mumbled, feeling kind of bad for hitting someone as a teenager without being struck first. I told myself it didn't matter and that she deserved it. I asked myself what she had really done. She had plotted to do... things with Warren after Save the Citizen. Although he plan had been thwarted by Boomer making her stay with Penny. She had been crying in the bathroom, something that still confused me. She hadn't truly physically hurt anyone. My guilt would have to wait. Icy fell to her knees, too exhausted to hit back or freeze me into oblivion.

"Hey, Princess!" Warren shouted. "Any time now would be great."

"How do we get it down?" I asked, eyeing the metal contraption and glad that my voice didn't show all the nervous adrenaline that was flooding through me.

"We wait until it's about to drop, then I'll grab her from here." He said. I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. He didn't sound annoyed, pleased, or anything else I thought he would be. The crowd was a riot of sound. Shouts, cheers, and some boos were coming from all direction and it exhilarated me.

There was a silence between the two of us until I spoke, a little awkwardly, "Good job."

He nodded. "Likewise."

I tried to figure out if he was pulling me leg or not. It was impossible to tell. Ten seconds were on the timer and his body was poised to lean over at the last second and rip the doll from her suspension.

I was standing to the side of him when something cold and hard slammed into my ribs. I yelped and squirmed in discomfort. I checked where it had hit in bewilderment and felt the cold wetness of ice. My eyes searched for the culprit. Penny was still standing where I had left her and I wasn't planning to release her anytime soon. My gaze settled on the figure of Icy, half smile in place on her lips. I hadn't thought she would be back up so soon.

Another torrent of ice spouted from her open palms, catching me on my hip bone. I hissed with pain at the sharp prickle of frost. She changed tactics. Instead of aiming for me, she directed the wintery attack at Warren, who had just made swing for the citizen.

Crap. I made a dive to the right to stop the full force of it before it reached Warren. I was too slow. It hit him in the back, making him stumble as soon as he caught a hold of the doll. An arm flew off at top speed before he could regain his balance and pull back.

What. The. Hell.

He yanked the citizen out of further danger. I assessed the damage. Only one arm missing. The room was hushed, muted for a few seconds. Icy grinned weakly and let her eyes droop in exhaustion. I released Penny. I looked at Warren and I couldn't read his expression.

"Peace! Branson! Your citizen is missing an arm-"

"The citizen doesn't need an arm!" Growled Warren.

"No talking back!" Boomer shouted. Warren looked like he was going to argue but was cut off. "Villains win."

Some cheered, others booed. I reluctantly peeled off the protective kit and laid it down for the next unfortunate soul. Melting ice made little watery lakes on the floor as I zipped my jacket up and went to sit back next to Layla. My eyes met Warren's for a spell. This whole day had been surreal an I wasn't sure what to make of it. Something told me I hadn't seen the last of him.

When I sat down, cheeks burning, Layla engulfed me in a bear hug and Zach clapped me on the back. "Whoa!" I said. "Easy on the squeezy!"

"Keepsie!" She exclaimed. "You were great-"

My lips quirked upwards. "-And I've proved that sidekicks can be heroes, too."

"Right." She nodded, satisfied that I knew what I had achieved.

"It was awesome, man!" Spoke Zach, dreamily. "Damn, if that freeze chick hadn't got you at last minute, you so would have won, dude!"

I smiled. I wondered how Icy felt, having almost being beaten by a sidekick.

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**Hope you all enjoyed! It's probably the longest chapter I've written for this, haha. Sorry if anything seems off, but I write to escape the stress of the real world and I have been very stressed and tired this week. Show me some love and review! I loved writing the chapter because stuff actually happened! Thoughts? Ideas? Questions?**


	11. Chapter Eleven

******Wow. This is a long chapter. Over 4000 words. If I'm honest, I'm not completely happy with this, but I can always take it down and edit it :) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I have loved reading every one of them! Hope you enjoy :)  
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**Chapter Eleven **

By the time I bounded up the porch steps, the smell of supper had drifted out to meet me. What a day. After my Save the Citizen bout, a couple more games took Penny and Icy out by Lash and Speed. I didn't really believe that they knew the concept of 'Saving' people but they did rather well in rescuing their citizen.

It felt good to see Icy having her ass kicked. Speed ran too quickly for her to impale him on an icicle and, despite her best efforts, freezing the ground beneath his feet didn't work, either. She was still too physically drained from taking Warren on to notice where he was heading. Lash tied all the Penny's up with his wiry arms and held her there until Speed grabbed the dummy. At the sound of 'Heroes win' from Boomer, Penny and Icy trotted back to their seats to reveal in their victories and compliments of classmates.

I saw the reflections in her eyes, the bundle of nerves buried just beneath the surface of the skin. I didn't understand what was going on with her. At all. I understood that she probably thought I was trying to snatch Warren Peace from her attentive grasp and I also understood that she didn't want me to tell people that she was crying in the girls bathroom. What I didn't understand was _why _she was crying or _why _she thought I was trying to 'steal' Warren from her. Plus, she acted like a really big bitch. Warren had been picked again, along with Will, against Lash and Speed. It wasn't something I'd likely forget.

I opened the door, removing my coat and rubbed my hands together, wanting to get rid of the lingering cold from outside. The weather was getting progressively colder, despite the sun being ever present.

"Keepsie!" Mom trilled from the kitchen. She emerged a few moments later, clutching a mixing bowl with the remains of cake batter at the bottom. Her face was utterly clear of make up, indicating that she hadn't had any calls today. "I'm so glad you're back! I need you to help me with the cake." She disappeared back into the kitchen. I sighed and followed.

"What's the special occasion?" I asked, surveying the devastation of the kitchen with a skeptical eye.

"A little bird told me that Will Stronghold came into his powers! Isn't that fantastic? I can't believe you didn't tell me straight away."

It took my brain a while to catch up with what she said. I searched for evidence in my head to support that I had told her. There was none. I then remembered why I hadn't told her in the first place. I had fruitlessly hoped that she wouldn't ask now because it was so long ago. "I didn't think it was that important…" I mumbled, opening the fridge and pulling out a soda. I popped it open and took a huge gulp.

"Not that important? Honey, he's going to be one of America's most known heroes. You would do well to… know him."

Somehow, her definition of 'know' wasn't the same as mine. I played dumb. "I already know him. We live on the same street."

"Maybe you should get to know him a bit better." She didn't make eye contact. "You shouldn't drink so much soda, it'll rot your teeth."

"What do you need help with?" I said, looking around for something useful to do and deliberately avoiding the topic of my health.

She pointed to a bag of icing sugar. "Mix the icing, please." She ran a dainty finger around the inside of the bowl she was still holding and brought it to her mouth. I swear she was a seven year old trapped in an adult's body. I rolled up my sleeves and obliged, willing to get my mind off the day's events. I poured water onto the powder and began mixing.

Should I seek Warren out and ask what he was saying before we had to go to the gym and battled Miss Freeze and her minion? He had said something about sidekicks being scared and then, I was ashamed to admit, I wasn't really concentrating on what he was saying. Ahem. It didn't feel like a good idea. Whatever weak friendship we had gradually built up would unquestionably relinquish if I started pestering him about what he said. I honest to God _blushed _when I thought of how the air between us was heated and electric and how stupid I must look because of it.

I splashed in blue food coloring upon mom's request, and mashed the assortment of icing sugar, water, and coloring together. After I had finished, I watched her child-like glee at smearing the turquoise icing onto the sponge cake, and excused myself from her presence. I was getting a headache. Everything that had happened was piling out top of me and that feeling was becoming too familiar.

Mom really, really needed to stop trying to set me up with Will. She needed a hobby. I climbed the stairs, my feet dragging behind me. She would probably finish the cake tonight and then drop it off with Josie tomorrow. Everyone on our street knew that Josie Stronghold did not like Alice Branson. I was grateful that dislike wasn't applicable to me.

I shoved my bedroom door open with my foot and halted in mid-stride.

Something wasn't right. The window was wide open, pale curtains billowing inwards in the light breeze, making the room colder. I was guessing it had been open a while. I replayed my morning routine; get up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, _close the window_, groggily have breakfast, then make my way down to the bus stop. Of course, the open window wasn't any justification to be suspicious. Mom or dad could have opened it to vent out the cesspit of female pheromones that, undoubtedly, had been floating around since I had met Warren.

The open window, although wasn't cause for alarm, was not the only thing that made me panic. One drawer was open, the contents ransacked and I was afraid to look to see what had been taken. It then struck me that I actually thought that someone had broken into the house, not stolen the games consoles, TV or laptop, but something from a teenage girl's nightstand that no one could sell or smoke. I was going insane.

The rest of the room was in order and as I left it this morning. I wasn't exactly neat. I preferred the term 'organized chaos'. I knew where everything was, even though most of my clothes were outside the wardrobe and school notes were scattered in every possible place, and I did not leave drawers open. I learned not to when I blithely walked into one and stubbed my toe last year. I was very careful to not let that happen again.

My mind wandered to the strange woman I had seen a couple of days ago. It was, of course, ridiculous, but my instincts told me that another person had been in the room. Another idea hit me. How the hell had they taken something and not been affected by my powers? Fear constricted my chest with every inhalation. To my knowledge, my power worked on everything in my possession. It didn't matter where I was or what it was. I had recently found out that it didn't have to be an object. Somebody could be stealing my air and that opened a whole realm of possibility.

I felt helpless and frightened, an unfamiliar combination that left me frustrated. I edged closer to the open drawer and cautiously peered in. Several old essays from school lay crumpled at the bottom, pen lids strewn over the top. That was all. A hollow sensation overcame me, starting in the base of my stomach and travelling across my whole body.

My project on female superheroes was gone.

I sat down very carefully on the bed and rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn't having some strange dream. When I glanced at the drawer again, the pages of my work were still absent. None of this really sank in until Mom shouted for me from the kitchen.

"Keepsie! Dinner!"

I shook myself. I would have to tell her. I mean, she could at least try to do something, right? Dad would have been better but he was working late and I didn't want to bother him with something that I assumed to be hero related.

"Coming!" I yelled. Every step on the way down felt like tiny jolts of realization. I couldn't even bring myself to ponder if this day could get any weirder because the day wouldn't understand it was a statement not a challenge, and then all kinds of shit would fly.

The kitchen counters were now spotless and the meticulously iced cake sat on a cooling rack. Mom was taking dinner out of the oven, obviously happy with her small accomplishments. "It's just me and you tonight, honey." She said.

"Mom, you didn't go into my room, right?" My fingers nervously played with a lock of hair.

She gave me a puzzled look. "No. Why would I? Don't play with your hair, it makes it look shorter than it is."

I ignored her remark. "Well, someone's been in there and if it wasn't you and it can't have been dad, who was it?"

"Why do you think someone's been in your room, sweetie?" She said, elongating her words like she was talking to a five year old.

I clenched my teeth. "Because the window was open when I came in and one of my school project is missing."

"That's silly. What would anyone need in a school girl's little project?" I could tell she wasn't taking me seriously.

"I don't know, but can you look into it? Please?"

She examined my face. "Maybe you're just tired. Why don't you go and lie down-"

"Mom, I'm telling you, somebody's taken it." I interrupted, beginning to get annoyed.

She set down the pot she was holding down and straightened the knives and forks already lain out. Cut flowers on the table hung their heads low over the vase containing them, bobbing their heads when she placed a basket of rolls in the centre. "Laura, stop being childish. You've just left it somewhere you've forgotten and didn't remember to close the window this morning. Now, sit down and enjoy your dinner."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew my story was a tad unrealistic and, if I was honest, I didn't exactly expect her to believe me, but it still stung when she didn't even try and pursue it. "Please, you have to think about it." Even I could hear the slight tone of begging in my voice. "I _never _leave my window open because bugs fly in and I find them when I get home, and I wouldn't lose something I had spent so much time on."

I watched her think about my words, then erase the objection like it was written on the wind before her. "I won't hear any more about this. Besides, people can't take things away from you because of your powers."

"Please-"

"No!" She snapped, making me jump. I could hear the ticking of the clock and the hum of the various appliances. Even she seemed shocked. In a calmer tone, she continued, "If this is an attempt to get some attention, you've got another thing coming, missy."

"What?" I burst out with. "You're going to say 'no' and leave it at that? Something strange is happening and I'm scared that someone is able to get past my powers and you're dismissing it like I'm making it all up!"

"Listen, I do a lot for you and you should be grateful that I haven't asked for much in return. Stop telling me stories and eat your dinner!"

Hurt blossomed in me like a night blooming flower. I swallowed. "Fine." I whispered. "I'll sort it out for myself."

I stormed out of the kitchen, pulled on my coat and strode out of the front door. This wasn't as satisfying as it sounded. It wasn't dark yet, the sun barely brushing the skyline and the odd chimney weaved cobwebs of smoke across the iron sky in the dusk. I stood on the porch steps, listening for any indication that mom was going to come after me. Instead, I heard the metallic clang of the pot going back into the oven and the faint squeak of a chair as she sat down. As stupid and cliché as it was, I didn't want to admit how much it upset me.

My feet carried me down the path and out onto the sidewalk. I was tempted to cut the heads off her prized roses but that would just be plain spiteful. I consoled myself by aiming to think that it wasn't mom's fault. Not really. I wouldn't believe me, either. There was this feeling in my gut that someone had taken that project. I didn't know why or how, but it had been done and I was damn well going to find out who. Everything that had been happened lately must be connected in some way.

I headed down the street, momentarily considering going to Will's but I didn't think that would help anything. I walked for a long time. I wasn't quite sure where I was a few times and, certain I was lost, randomly blundered down a few side streets until I found my way again. This was every bit frustrating and not-fun as it sounded. When was an appropriate time to go home? I didn't know the correct form of etiquette for angrily storming out of the house and wandering aimlessly for ages in the gathering gloom.

Ugh, why was I out here, again? Feeling slightly defeated in whatever strange purpose my mind had made up, I took inventory of where I stars had begun to cut through the darkness, pin pricks of light shining through the black. The sky was surprisingly clear for the city. The houses around me were big and modern and the lights from several restaurants shone over the road. I sighed. If it was dark now, mom would worry. Another pulse of resentment washed over me and I closed my eyes, getting a grip. _You're acting like a petulant child, Keepsie. _I thought, shoving my hands in my pockets. _Put on your Big Girl Panties__TM__ and deal with this yourself. _I turned back to figure out which way I haphazardly came, when something caught my eye.

In the waning light, a figure was outlined against the sky.

The anger I had been carefully nursing was eroding to reveal an icy lump of fear beneath. It wasn't the same woman as before. Or, at least, I didn't think so.

"Fuck." I cursed, almost not accepting what I was seeing as true. What had I done to deserve all these strange women appearing out of nowhere? This woman appeared to be a blot of shadow and I could see nothing of her features except her short, spiky hair. I didn't know what I was doing until I was ten paces away from her. I could see her more clearly. A strange striped costume clothed her slim body and a cat-like mask covered most of her face.

"Hey!" I yelled, paying no heed to my own fear, focusing instead on my profound annoyance. This would be very awkward if she was innocently on her way to a fancy dress party. Her eyes snapped towards me and she grinned. I think I had stumbled upon something far deeper than I could imagine. That grin told it all.

"Hi, sugar. You sure know how to keep a girl waiting." Her voice was a low purr.

"I don't know what's going on, but I know somebody was in my room." My fists clenched and unclenched, hardly daring to understand my own confidence.

She chuckled. "Not even asking my name? My, you've come _looking_ for trouble."

"Who are you?" I was starting to sound like a bad episode of CSI.

She licked her glossed lips. The gesture, oddly, didn't appear sexual, but almost feral. "Cheshire Kitten here, sweetie." Who was this, some Catwoman rip off? I vaguely recalled the name, though. She stretched languidly, arms extending above her head in a unhurried gesture. "You have so much _potential_, baby-doll! _Such _a shame about your powers. We might still have a use for you..."

"We?" I questioned, thoroughly confused.

Her lips quirked upwards in a smile. "Oh, yes. Hate to be so cryptic, sugar, but can't have you running to your little friends, can we? Our little team could _use _someone like you. Here," She came forwards, hips swaying and carrying herself like she was on a runway in Paris, not the suburbs of Maxville. I involuntarily stiffened as she came closer. She held out a slip of paper. "Take it." She said. "I don't bite. _Hard_." She winked.

Urgh. I gingerly took the paper from her, afraid of what her dangerously graceful form might do if I refused. The woman practically glowed with unspoken threat and sex appeal. The note was written on with the same blue ink and handwriting as the one in my locker.

_29 Seventh Street  
Maxville _

"What is this?" I said.

"Come meet us tomorrow, sugar. You won't regret it."

"No. Not until you tell me what is going on." I was proud my voice didn't shake.

"See you tomorrow, baby-doll!" She wiggled her fingers.

"Where are-" I began to say but I stopped. Her body wavered, like smoke before a fire, and vanished.

I had no words left. All I could do was choke on air and think I was slowly going off to the deep end. Fucking heroes and their powers. I couldn't be sure if that was invisibility or teleporting. If it was invisibility, had she been watching me? For how long? It meant she wasn't a technopath, so it couldn't have been her that opened my locker. I glanced down at the note in my hand. Seventh Street wasn't far from home.

"Branson? That you?"

In my dazed state, I hadn't noticed a figure coming up behind me. I almost tripped in my haste to turn round. I squinted in the dimness of the street. "Huh?" I said. God, I'm so intelligent.

"What are you doing?"

"_Peace_?" I said. Crap. Now it looked like I was stalking him. "What are _you_ doing?"

He stepped closer, so I could distinguish his face without straining to see. "I work there." He pointed to one of the restaurants across the road. The Paper Lantern. "I'm on my way home. Why are you just standing here?" I could see his hair was tied back and his leather jacket had been exchanged for an apron. _I wouldn't mind seeing him in _just_ that apron… _I thought, then swiftly shook myself. _Really not the time for those kind of feelings. _

"Um… The woman and the disappearing and the walking…" Wow. I was so tired I wasn't even making sense. My brain felt all kinds of fuzzy.

"Branson, are you high?" He came nearer, checking my pupils for abnormal dilation. If I hadn't been so freaking worn-out, I would have taken a few seconds pleasure in our proximity.

"No!" I retorted, mildly offended. "I'm… tired."

"Why are you here?" He asked again, slowly. If he didn't think I was crazy now, this must have done it.

"I had a fight with my mom, so I started walking and now I'm here." I said, pleased I was coherent. "Why are _you _here?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because I saw you standing here for roughly five minutes and I thought you might be high or drunk. Or both." It occurred to me that he wouldn't have been able to see Cheshire Kitten. She would have been too far into the shadows.

"Oh. Well, I'm not."

He heaved a sigh and after a few seconds of silence, in which I was starting to feel a little faint, he said, "Do you need help getting home?" He seemed to pose this grudgingly, like he felt obligated. It didn't give me a particularly warm fuzzy feeling.

"What?"

"Maxville isn't the best of places at night, Branson, and I don't want to feel guilty if you get kidnapped, or worse."

I pondered on whether to decline, but when I weighed the options in my head, I knew it would be smart to admit I wasn't completely sure where I was, no matter how stupid I seemed. Plus, in my worn out state, I couldn't be certain I wouldn't just collapse and pretend the sidewalk was my bed. "That would be good." I mumbled. "Do you have a phone so I could ring for a cab?"

"Where do you live?"

I rattled off my address, expecting him to call for someone to pick me up. My own cell was back in my bedroom. He mulled this over while I did my best not to slump against the nearby wall and promptly conk out then and there. Eventually, he came to a decision.

"I don't live far from there. I'll walk you home." He said, gruffly.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

He glared at me. I mean, really glared. "I'd do this for anyone, Princess. I don't want to see any girl raped because I left her in the middle of the town by herself."

I gulped. "Fair enough." Internally, I was cheering.

"This way." He walked out of the side street and back onto the sidewalk. I followed. I tried not look at his arms, in particular when he removed his apron, revealing a tight t shirt underneath. "I need to drop this at the restaurant. Stay here."

I watched him go back across the road and enter the shop. I couldn't comprehend what was happening. I made my mind up that I was generally unhappy with guys altogether. It didn't matter how foxy they were. Nope. Especially not when they wore leather and had red streaks in their hair. But then I saw Warren come out of the Paper Lantern and I forgot what I had been thinking. _God, I'm pathetic. _

We didn't speak to each other for a good five minutes. The sound of our footsteps on the concrete were strangely loud in the quiet town.

"Warren?" I said warily, not wanting to instigate a petty fight over nothing.

He grunted.

"What did you mean today, when you said things are going on at school?" Well. Look at that. I'm fluent in Warren-Speak.

"Nothing I haven't already told you." He said. "You're a sidekick. I'm sure something's happened to you that's been a little weird."

"Lately, I've been the Queen of Weird." I muttered.

Another few moments passed in a more comfortable hush. I checked my watch. Nearly ten o'clock. I increased my pace. Maxville wasn't a dangerous town by some accounts, but in every town there's always going to be some kind of crime and I was emphatically grateful for Warren's presence. Street lamps flickered on and off.

"Sorry I grabbed you today." He said quietly.

Whatever I had expected him to say, it positively wasn't that. "Um, sure?" The incredulousness must have been apparent in my voice because he turned to look at me. He had nice eyes when he wasn't glaring.

"No, really. I'm sorry. It was inappropriate."

"Uh, don't worry about it." I said.

It was sort of companionable to walk alongside him without my hormones getting in the way. Tiredness had put a damper on them. There was a small quiver of excitement when his hand accidently brushed mine, but nothing more. It was nice.

All too soon, we were rounding the corner to my street. Only a handful of windows were illuminated in the dark, including the one from my living room. I didn't expect him to come all the way to the door with me, yet he did. I hid a smile when I thought he wasn't looking. Light bled out from the crack under the door.

I stumbled on the porch steps. His hand encircled my wrist and caught me before my knee met the hard stone. His hand was warm. To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. "Crap." I hissed, straightening. I was a lot closer to him than I originally intended to be. "Thanks for walking me home. I appreciate it." I whispered. The air had a delicate impression, like if I spoke too loudly it would break.

Our bodies were nearly touching. I glanced up, convinced that he would back away. He didn't. "It's okay." He said, almost inaudibly. My eyes jumped to his lips as he spoke and I hastily looked away.

"I'd better go in." I said. He leaned in until I could feel the few free strands of his hair graze my cheek. I hardly dared to breathe.

"Yep." He answer, his face criminally close to mine.

There was a flutter of rapture in my chest. He closed the distance agonizingly slowly. I stayed stock still. His lips were an inch away from mine.

"Keepsie? Is that you?" My mother's voice came from the other side of the closed door.

Well… Eff. I very, very reluctantly stepped away from Warren. "Thanks again." I said, self-conscious. He nodded. I turned away and pushed open the front door. When I looked back, he was gone.

* * *

**...Well, what did you think? Cheshire Kitten was influenced by Catwoman, so they might have some similar qualities. Warren still in character? Reviews make me very happy :)**


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